


Little Birds

by Lunari



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Amari Kids, Art by Lesbeanlatte, F/F, Fluff, Pharmercy, Slice of Life, birdmoms - Freeform, rocket bird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 05:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunari/pseuds/Lunari
Summary: This started as an extension of a prompt from my 100 Ways challenge. It turned into something more.So, join in for the entire lives of our birdmoms and their kids.There's fluff. A lot of it.For a bit of ambience: https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX0jgyAiPl8Af





	1. We'll figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tkay01](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=tkay01), [HJ22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HJ22/gifts).



It was a rare, double day off for the pair and they chose, as always, to spend it at the park. Fareeha sat against a tree, one leg splayed out before her, the other bent with an arm thrown over it, acting as a seat back for her wife. Angela was lost in a book, raising a pale hand to brush aside her bangs when the breeze became unruly.

 

It was truly a perfect day. The sun’s rays didn’t reach them in the shade, the cool breeze chased off any lingering uncomfortable heat, birds sang and Angela’s soft humming culminated into a glorious afternoon.

 

The two sat without speaking, Angela in her book world and Fareeha gazing over the gleefully laughing children and their parents as they darted around the play-gyms and fields. Fareeha’s deep sigh pulled Angela from her reading and she cast concerned blue eyes up to her current chair.

 

“Do you ever want that?” Fareeha asked after a few beats. Angela sat her book to the side and shifted, back fully against Fareeha’s chest. She tugged her wife’s arm into her lap and gave it a small hug.

 

“Now that our lives have calmed down?” Angela asked quietly, eyes now joining Fareeha’s as they watched the screaming toddlers have the time of their lives in the foam pit. Angela’s breath of ‘yes’ was nearly lost on the breeze.

 

Fareeha tightened her grip on her wife, small smile on her lips. She dropped her chin to Angela’s shoulder, free hand coming up to play with the gold band wrapped around the blonde’s finger. “We have a lot of thinking to do, then,” Fareeha spoke quietly into her wife’s ear before dropping a kiss on her pale neck.

 

Angela let herself fully slacken, head dropping back to rest against Fareeha’s shoulder. She pulled her wife’s dark hands into her lap and threaded their fingers, fascinated as always by their stark contrast in skin tone. “I have a few contacts I can talk to, some journals I could bring home. If you’re that interested, of course.” Angela said, voice already trailing off in uncertainty. 

 

A small huff sounded off, breath tickling the fine hairs behind Angela’s ear. “Don’t start trying to nervously backtrack now.” A kiss dropped to the patch of skin just beneath her ear. “There is nothing more I want than to make a family with you.”

  
Angela turned then, shifting disbelieving eyes to her wife. “Oh really now,  _ nothing _ more? Not even, dare I say it,  _ justice _ ?” Fareeha barely contained the barked laughter, giving the blonde a playful nudge with a roll of her eyes.

 

“I will admit,” Fareeha began with a stubborn sniff of her nose, chin in the air so she could glare at Angela from the corner of her eyes. “It was a close race.” The resulting red flush across the blonde’s cheeks, the indignant huff, the dropped jaw and swat to the arm was an endearing response that only caused Fareeha to chuckle.

 

* * *

 

 

The two sat in relative silence pouring over the various medical texts and Angela’s tablet that had way too many tabs open to continue functioning properly. A frustrated huff would pass Fareeha’s lips before she would grumpily turn a page. Angela at her side would grumble under her breath before closing out of a tab in her browser. Every so often, a mouth would open in preparation, finger already pointing at a promising line of text before eyes would read further, ending in disappointment.

 

Fareeha gave a final frustrated huff and flipped the folder of medical journals closed, standing and pulling her hands above her head to stretch out. A digital ping and an excited yelp from her wife drew her attention and she cast her eyes over her shoulder.

 

“I think I’ve found it!” Angela exclaimed, finger jabbing against the screen, tip resting against her email inbox. Fareeha let her arms fall as she turned to rejoin her wife on the couch. “There’s a method that was developed back in the twenties. It’s come out of trial and has had several successful cases.” Her voice trailed off as she continued to read the documentation her colleague had sent over. Fareeha leaned over to read along with her but got lost through all of the medical terms. A few she understood, of course, it was impossible to be in a relationship with a leading scientist and doctor and not learn a term or two.

 

A pale hand trailed down her forearm before threading fingers through Fareeha’s, giving a squeezing tug as she turned to summarize the medical journal, blue eyes alight with excitement. “I know we were leaning toward adoption, but what if it could be a biological child?”

  
Fareeha’s eyes shuttered, masking the disappointment that lanced through her at the thought. There was something primal demanding she make offspring herself, not using her wife as a host for someone else’s child. “It would cause too many issues down the line. There have been too many times that donors sued fo-”   
  
“I doubt you’d be suing me for custody,” Angela interjected, eyes carefully watching Fareeha’s emotions play out on her face. When her features finally settled on confusion, Angela continued. “It’s a fairly straightforward process. To put it simply, they use our DNA to create a child. There’s more to it, of course, splicing and integrating and whatnot, but it’s been successful since it hit human testing.” Fareeha only sat doing a spot on impression of a goldfish. Angela’s hand came up to cradle her wife’s jaw, applying a bit of pressure to stop her open-mouthed gaping.   
  
  
“Fareehali, the child would be  _ ours. _ ”


	2. Try, try again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angela and Fareeha struggle to make their dreams of family a reality.

Fareeha scrambled at the door, her key never hitting the hole. When she finally unlocked the door, she rushed through the entryway with a string of apologies already falling past her lips. She poked her head into the nearest doorway and checked the room Angela used as an office, finding it empty. Heaving a sigh, she made her way to the kitchen and saw her wife at the table, mug of long-cold tea held at her chin between both hands, eyes staring off into the distance. A look of sympathy and understanding crossed her features as she moved to sit next to the blonde.

 

“We need to leave, ya amar. We’re already late.” Fareeha said quietly, trying to coax her wife into moving. When the blonde made no response, a dark hand came up to trail along a pale forearm. Blue eyes shot to the hand tracing patterns against her skin before darting up to meet umber. Her chin quivered before she was able to reign in the response. Fareeha made a small noise in the back of her throat as she recognized the emotions swimming in her wife’s eyes and she gently guided the mug back to the table before leaning forward and pulling Angela into a firm hug. 

 

“What if they say it hasn’t worked?” Angela muttered into Fareeha’s neck. “How many times are we supposed to hear ‘no’ and keep trying?” The arms around her tightened, one hand stroking her back soothingly. 

 

Fareeha pulled away and dropped feather light kisses along her temple trailing to the corner of her mouth. “As many times as we need until we hear ‘yes.’” A mocha thumb trailed along Angela’s jawline. “When have we ever given up on something we wanted?”

 

Angela smiled and dropped her hand to play with Fareeha’s wedding band thoughtfully. “Well, sometimes it took us a while to know what it exactly was that we wanted.” She mused. “But then we fought relentlessly for it.” Fareeha nodded, a supportive grin on her face, and stood.

 

“Now let’s go find out if we’re getting a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ this time, okay?” Fareeha held out a hand to help her wife to her feet. The blonde laughed, wiping her damp eyes and followed Fareeha out the door.

 

* * *

 

The office was sparse with only a desk, two patient chairs, and a dusty potted fern. A series of diplomas hung on the wall boasting various degrees. Fareeha and Angela sat, fingers entwined and eyes expectantly trained on the doctor behind the desk. The balding man glanced over the files on his desk before glancing over to the couple over his thin glasses.

 

He gathered up the manila folder and after tapping it against the desk to realign the papers, he spoke. “It seems this time the procedure wasn’t successful.” He dropped the news with a sympathetic bluntness. A mocha hand clenched around pale fingers. Fareeha’s eyes stayed locked on the man, refusing to look to Angela. She knew her wife would be fighting tears and if Fareeha looked, she would break. She had to be strong for her wife.

 

He sighed, sat down the folder and steepled his hands above the stack of paper. “If I could step away from my role as your doctor and instead offer you a word as a friend, I’d advise you to wait before your next attempt. Sometimes these things just take time.” 

 

Angela’s chair creaked as she sat forward with a determined look in her eye. “We’ll try again.” He opened his mouth to voice more concern, but Angela cut him off. “Today, Dr. Harper.”

 

His mouth shut with a click of teeth. “Very well, I’m sure you know the way.” He said with a gesture at the door. “Best of luck.”

 

Fareeha stood and left, holding the door for her wife before dropping a hand to scoop up Angela’s. They made their way down the hallway in silence, Angela only breaking it when they reached the door to the surgical wing. “What if the batch is compromised? Do you think we should give more samples? Is it the cryo that is-” Fareeha silenced her wife’s ramblings with a gentle kiss, hand supporting the back of her head.

 

“We have done everything right.” Fareeha sighed and closed her eyes, dropping her forehead to rest on Angela’s, hands on either side of her jaw. “Sometimes things happen for a reason, right? Well, sometimes things  _ don’t _ happen for a reason.” She opened her eyes to stare directly into blue, a small quirk at the corner of her lips. Understanding passed between them, a silent communication earned from too many years on the battlefield.

 

Angela nodded once. “We’ll give it this shot and then we take some time.” She turned with a determined set to her jaw and walked into the surgical wing.   
  


* * *

 

Fareeha was dreading walking into the house. It was an uncommon feeling and one she never wanted to experience again. She knew that today’s doctor visit determined their immediate future and some stubborn part of the Egyptian wanted to stay outside forever. If she never went in, they never had to go to the doctor, right? She gave her head a firm shake, squared her shoulders and entered the quiet home.

 

Angela wasn’t in any of her usual haunts. Her office was empty, there was no reading blonde on the couch in the den. Both the kitchen table and breakfast nook were empty. She turned down the hall to their bedroom to check if she was napping as was her norm since starting the IVF treatments but the light under the door to the guest bathroom stopped her. Neither of them used the guest bath, preferring their spacious en-suite instead of the slightly cramped hall bathroom. Fareeha gently rapped at the door with a knuckle. “Angela?”

 

A fumbled clatter of something falling to tile and a muttered curse later, Angela responded. “Just a moment, Liebe!” Fareeha’s eyes narrowed. Angela was much too chipper for her current location. She reached down to turn the knob but found it locked. This shocked her more than her wife’s odd attitude. Just when she was about to demand the door be opened, it swung wide. Angela stood one of Fareeha’s old Egyptian Army shirts and socks, one pulled to her knee, the other drooping around her ankle, wisps of her hair flying about with the breeze from the door. Any other time, Fareeha would have immediately scooped her up and taken her straight to bed, but by now she was sufficiently worried. She cast her eyes behind her wife, assessing the state of the bathroom for any clues but found nothing.

 

“Alright, explain,” Fareeha said, eyes still sliding over her wife’s body as if checking for injury. “And let’s get you dressed, we’re going to be late.” Fareeha made to turn, already half a step toward their bedroom when Angela stopped her.

 

A pale hand tightened around her wrist. “Wait.” Angela was staring at the floor, chewing her lip nervously and fiddling with something behind her back.

  
“You’re starting to worry me, ya amar,” Fareeha said on a breath, hands moving to clasp Angela’s shoulders and stooping to her eye level. “What’s going on?”

 

Angela looked up at her wife through her lashes, wide grin breaking through. “We’re not going to the clinic today.”

 

Fareeha sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I know you’re disheartened and worried that somehow,  _ you’ve _ messed up the medical procedure a team of other doctors is performing, but we have to make this appointment. You know how quickly those slots fill.”

 

Angela stood her ground despite Fareeha gently tugging a hand toward their bedroom door. She heaved a sigh and withdrew her hidden hand, holding the fist out to her wife. On reflex, Fareeha’s hand shot out and Angela deposited the small white device in the outstretched palm. Fareeha took it in both hands, turning it over and inspecting it closely. She knew what this was, but it couldn’t be…

 

Fareeha looked to Angela and the blonde nearly cried at the hopeful fear on the Egyptian’s face. She simply nodded, tears threatening to fall. “We aren’t going to the clinic today, but we will at the end of the week for a prenatal exam.” Fareeha’s eyes darted back to the little red cross in the results window before snapping back to Angela’s, mouth hung open in shock before slowly curling into a wide smile.

 

The pregnancy test hit the floor, Fareeha dropping it in her haste to pick up and twirl her wife into the hallway, hoots of laughter echoing off the walls. She sat her down immediately, hands running over her flat belly, rushed apologies falling from her lips. Angela only laughed, hand resting over her navel. “He’s about the size of a pin head right now, I think he can handle his mother being excited.”

  
Fareeha’s grin grew impossibly wider at the title and the confirming words. Angela was pregnant. They did it.  _ Her _ baby was in there. The Egyptian rushed forward, lips crashing into Angela’s, words of endearment peppered among kisses. She pulled back and dropped a final kiss on Angela’s nose before sinking to her knees and pulling Angela toward her by the hips. She smiled against the woman’s taut stomach, whispering promises and vows against the ratty t-shirt, pale hands raising to card through black tresses.


	3. The Pregnancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So we're gonna go the full pregnancy in this chapter. I can't bring myself to rewrite the birth prompt from 100 Ways to Say "I Love You" in Birdmom. I was pretty darn proud of it and don't want to change it to be more fluffy to fit the feel of this work. If you want to read it, go here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10394775/chapters/23316556

Angela paced, nails picking at a bit of skin on her thumb. The smells and sounds coming from the kitchen did nothing to distract her from her racing thoughts. Though she greatly appreciated Fareeha preparing the night’s meal, she was distraught without something to occupy her time until their guests arrived. She’d taken to passing between her office and the den, crossing the front hallway, her eyes darting to the small glass window in the door as if seeing Ana and Reinhardt walking up the front stairs was a liferaft in her current sea of panic.

 

She nearly jumped out of her skin when two warm hands dropped to her shoulders, halting her movements. “There’s no reason to be nervous, ya amar. They will be ecstatic.” A kiss against her neck and her wife was hugging her from behind, hands resting gently over the barely swollen belly. Surrounded by warmth and Fareeha’s scent of sandalwood, Angela finally relaxed with a smile. “Now go and sit, pacing won’t make them arrive faster.” And with that, Angela was nudged in the direction of the den, grinning as she noticed her favorite throw and book already waiting on her.

 

Fareeha smiled to herself as Angela settled on the couch, standing in the doorway just a bit longer to watch the blonde before heading back to the kitchen to finish the meal. 

 

The food was just hitting the table when the knock sounded through the house. Fareeha released a calming breath; Angela shot to her feet in a panic. They arrived at the front door together, Fareeha reaching forward to pull it open to reveal the elder couple. Smiles and hugs were exchanged and they made their way to the kitchen table and their meal. Pleasantries were passed along with platters and bowls of food and before long, plates were being scraped clean with compliments tossed to Fareeha. Ana made to stand but Fareeha caught her wrist with a smile.

 

“But we still have dessert, ami.” And with that, Fareeha stood and cleared away a few plates before moving to the sink. Behind her, Angela was already at the oven and pulling it open. All eyes turned to the oven waiting for one of Angela’s famous baked concoctions, but all that sat on the rack was a single roll of bread.

 

At the sink, Fareeha chewed her lip to hold back her laughter as Angela bent over with an exaggerated expression of shock, the pilot suddenly appreciating her wife more as a scientist for she would have made a terrible actress. “Oh, what’s this?” Angela said, still in her act of surprise.

 

Fareeha took her queue, bringing the pie they’d hidden under a towel to the table. “I would say, Angela,” She placed the dessert on the table with a smirk. “That we have a bun in the oven.”

 

* * *

 

The only silver lining to their shopping trip was Hana and Lena’s insistence that they be the ones to carry the obscene amount of bags. They’d already made their way through three stores and were now shuffling through the crowded mall with the determination of an Everest climber. Angela was beginning to dread the next excited squeal from the Korean as she spotted something the “new babybird just needed to have.” She hated herself just a bit when she rolled her eyes as Lena began reading from the list she’d made before they left on their journey.

 

“Let’s see, right… Ok, so we’ve got furniture covered, Fareeha’s handling that.” She struggled to bring a bag-laden arm up to cross the item from the paper. “Baby clothes, check. Toys, check. That silly picture thing Hana made you buy, added and check. We’ve got your clothes for when you get fat. Oi, it happens!” Lena defended when Angela moved to swat at her shoulder, skipping to the side to avoid the hit.

 

“Lena, we’ve bought enough to start our own store at this point, can we just go home?” Angela wasn’t one to beg or whine, but her back was killing her, her feet felt like lead and she was nursing a headache. That’s when Hana began cooing over something in the window they’d just passed.

 

Angela sighed, shoulders slumping.  _ It’s going to be a long day. _ She groaned, hand rubbing at the bridge of her nose.

 

* * *

 

Angela sat on the couch, feet folded beneath her for added warmth as her toes were always frigid now. She balanced a book on her knee and a notepad against the other, jotting notes down as she flipped through the pages. Fareeha walked into the den and Angela stopped her with a raised finger, finishing her thought on paper before turning to look at her wife in the doorway. 

 

“So I was thinking something to represent our heritage,” Fareeha spoke once she had her wife’s attention. “Something that would represent the best parts of us and where we came from.” Fareeha moved to sit on the couch, arm slung over the back, fingers playing with blonde tendrils. 

 

“I was thinking the same! I have a list,” She picked up her notebook and held it toward the Egyptian with a proud smile. “Of names I’d like us to pick from.” Umber eyes scanned over the list of names and meanings scribbled across the page. The decidedly Swiss names.

 

Fareeha sighed, hand stilling its motions. “I was actually thinking of Kamaj. It is ‘one who protects the innocent.’” Fareeha looked over the list again, seeing a doodled heart next to ‘Ansel’ with its meaning to the side.

 

A sniff from the blonde drew umber eyes over. Angela was shaking her head and wiping at her eyes frantically. “I’m sorry, I’m really not upset I promise.” Fareeha’s hand dropped to comfortingly massage Angela’s neck. “It’s these damn hormones.”

 

Fareeha used the hand at her wife’s neck to tug her sideways, other arm wedging beneath her thighs. She deftly pulled the blonde into her lap with a shushing hum, hooking her chin over blonde locks and rocking slightly. Angela’s sniffs began to soften as she lay with her ear against her wife’s chest, reveling in the strong heartbeat and steady breaths. Fareeha’s voice was a deep rumble against her cheek when she spoke.

 

“Let’s compromise then.” A dark hand smoothed over Angela’s back. “I’ll pick an Arabic first name and a Swiss middle name. You do the opposite and then we can decide.” She dropped a kiss onto the top of her wife’s head. “How does that sound?”

 

“Perfect.” Angela hummed.

 

Three days later found them in the den once more, each with their own notebook. Angela spoke first, excitedly leaning forward with her elbows on her knees as she sat cross-legged on the couch. “Ansel Rashad. Ansel meaning holy protection and Rashad meaning intelligence and pathfinding.” Fareeha’s eyes began to glisten with unshed tears as her gaze shifted from her wife’s excited face to the small bump at her waist.

 

She swallowed thickly and rapidly blinked her eyes at her paper to clear away the tears before she read hers aloud. “Kamaj Falke.” A small sound of surprise from her wife had her looking up from her page but Angela motioned for her to continue. “Kamaj means protection of the innocent and Falke means flight.” Angela was turning red in the face now trying to hold back her laughter. At Fareeha’s questioning glance, her wife merely shook her head. Once the blonde calmed down, she spoke.

 

“Falke means falconer.” The silence was deafening. “You, who piloted a blue metal falcon suit, wants to name our son after someone who raises falcons.”

 

Fareeha only grinned. “That just makes it even better.”

 

* * *

 

“Angela are you dressed yet?” Fareeha called through the house as she made her way to their bedroom. As she passed under the stairway, she heard a thump on the ceiling above her. Concerned, though it didn’t sound loud enough to have been her wife falling, she turned and sprinted up the stairs taking them three at a time. She shot to the room they were converting to Angela’s new office when she heard muttered Swiss from the doorway. Fareeha leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and a small smile on her lips as she watched her wife on her hands and knees, scrubbing the nonexistent dust from the bottom shelves of her bookcase.

 

“Ya amar,” Fareeha spoke softly to not spook her wife. “We’re supposed to meet Mei and Aleks in about an hour, can I help with anything?” Angela’s only response was to burst into tears. Fareeha was at Angela’s side in two quick strides, dropping to a knee and pulling her into her arms. The sobs grew louder but Fareeha held on, humming a small tune. Since she’d hit this stage of her pregnancy, her emotions were on a pendulum and Fareeha had learned that no matter which side of the swing her mood landed on, a bit of a cuddle turned things around. The pair sat on the floor of Angela’s new office until the blonde had calmed enough for Fareeha to stand with Angela in her arms. She made her way carefully down the stairs and turned toward their bedroom, nudging the door open with a toe.

 

Once Angela was in the bed Fareeha went about gathering some comfortable sleepwear while flipping through her phone to call Aleks. With the phone nestled between her ear and shoulder, she helped Angela redress into a tank and shorts, explaining their need to cancel when the Russian answered. Fareeha hung up and tossed her phone onto her nightstand before crawling under the covers and pulling Angela toward her.

 

* * *

 

Angela decided she was done with any bit of her current situation. Fareeha, however, could not be happier. She’d follow the waddling Angela around with a dopey grin on her face and the coddling was getting to the doctor. It was a few days into the second trimester when the blonde finally snapped.

 

Angela had just entered the kitchen for something to curb her hunger when in trotted her Egyptian wife. The ex-pilot took in the sight of her wife in sinfully tiny shorts and oversized tee that barely kept its stretched out neck on her body. Angela was trying to reach up for her go-to box of cereal when Fareeha’s mocha hand grabbed it first, placing it on the counter and a kiss to Angela’s bare shoulder. When Fareeha moved to the fridge for the milk, Angela nearly growled.

 

“Fareeha.” Came the cold tone, stopping the woman in her tracks. “I am perfectly capable of making myself a bowl of cereal.”

 

A pout, an honest to goodness pout, bloomed over Fareeha’s full lips. Angela looked away before the puppy eyes started. “I’m just trying to help you, ya amar.”

 

“Just… Sit down and let me do at least this.” Angela said, shoulders drooping in defeat.

 

* * *

 

Fareeha drew the hem of her tank up to wipe away the sweat from her forehead as she stood from her latest task of building a changing table. Angela sat in the rocking chair in the corner, folding clothes and sorting them into drawers and at her wife’s movement she froze, eyes catching on the defined abs peeking from beneath the raised shirt. She bit her lip as her eyes roamed over glistening skin. Fareeha caught her staring and tightened her stomach, flexing her sweat-wiping arm for good measure. She smirked when she saw Angela thickly swallow.

 

The heated moment broke when Angela gasped, hand flying to her stomach. “Fareeha!” The grin was huge on Angela’s face as she waved her wife over. “He’s kicking! Come feel!” As soon as the dark hand was close enough, pale fingers gripped at it and tugged it to her stomach. Fareeha sank to her knees, nestled between Angela’s thighs, palm pressed against the warm skin. Her smile was soft and gentle, eyes full of wonder as she felt the small thump against her hand. As if under a spell, she pushed Angela’s shirt up and leaned forward to rain kisses over the stretched skin.

 

Angela sat grinning as she watched her wife whisper sweet nothings to her belly. Umber eyes darted up to catch her gaze through dark lashes and her breath caught. Fareeha’s whispered word made her heart flutter.

 

“Ours.” And then there was a cheek pressed against pale flesh.

 

* * *

 

“Alright, are you two ready to see your baby?” The nurse sat behind the monitor, one hand stretched out to work the sensor running along Angela’s expanded stomach. Fareeha’s hand tightened in her own and she nodded. While this wouldn’t be their first ultrasound, it’d be the first where they were learning anything about their child other than health. Fareeha had been insistent that every doctor’s visit be made and shown up to, every vitamin taken, the wrong foods thrown out and everything completed to a textbook level.

  
They’d chosen to wait to learn the sex of the baby until now, two months out from their due date. Fareeha thought it would be a nice surprise; Angela was worried she’d get even more attached if she knew and the haunting fear that she was going to lose their child would take over. 

 

Angela’s heart skipped a beat as the nurse’s brows furrowed and she moved the sensor to a specific area. “What’s wrong,” Angela demanded, propping herself onto her elbows to try and snag a glimpse of the monitor. The nurse’s face immediately reshuffled into a smile as she turned.

 

“Oh nothing at all, Mrs. Amari. I was just checking.” The nurse turned the monitor to face the couple. “You have a very healthy boy.” She hit a button to capture the image before moving the sensor back to the position that made her brows furrow. The image swished around for a moment before focusing on their son. “And here’s your other healthy boy.”

  
Angela’s jaw dropped, eyes moving to her gel covered stomach. A dark hand moved to smooth over the skin and her eyes locked with Fareeha’s. “T-twins?” The blonde asked.


	4. The Boys are Here

There was a quiet knock at the door before it was pushed open, a small accented ‘hello’ called out as Ana stepped into the room. Angela lay on the bed asleep with Fareeha next to her in a chair, leg tossed over the wooden armrest. She laid down the tablet she was working on and smiled up at her mother as the ex-sniper pulled up a chair. A small hand closed over Fareeha’s own and gave it a comforting squeeze.

 

“She’s still out?” Ana asked in a whisper, nodding her head toward the blonde.

 

Fareeha nodded and glanced at the tablet, saving the work on her recent coding and shutting it down with a small sigh. “It was rough.” For a moment, Ana thought this was the only explanation she was going to get from her daughter. Fareeha pulled herself to her feet and leaned over her sleeping wife, dark fingers pushing sweat clumped bangs from her forehead and double checking IVs and blankets. When she completed her routine she turned back to her mother and motioned for her to follow as she left the room.

 

“The nanites she infused herself with back in the Overwatch days,” Fareeha began once the door was pulled shut, “Caused issues during labor. They kept healing any damage done, so it ended in surgery.” A dark hand pushed through black tresses as Fareeha leaned against the wall, head dropping back to rest tiredly against the surface. “Both of the boys are healthy and Angela’s recovering well.” She said as a reassurance to her mother, but Ana knew the words were for the new parent herself.

 

Fareeha pushed away from the wall to dig her phone from her back pocket, thumbing through commands and typing a quick text. “I’m going to have Lena come up from the cafeteria to sit with her. We’ll go see the boys as soon as she’s here.”

 

Ana nodded, eyes drifting to the small window leading to Angela’s room. Seeing the strong and fearless doctor as she was now, more pale and papery than ever, she could understand why her daughter was nervous to leave her alone. No more than a few seconds after the text was sent, Lena appeared in a flash already shoving Fareeha toward her mother.

 

“You two go on, I’ve got DocWatch.” The Brit said with a salute, shooing the pair toward the nursery.

 

Ana chuckled and took the lead, easily navigating through the hallways with the help of bright blue placards. “So I take it your earlier argument with Angela over naming isn’t an issue now?” The older woman asked, smile heavy in her voice.

 

Fareeha only sighed and rolled her eyes. “I wondered how long it would take you to bring that up, ami.” Fareeha stepped up to the glass door and pressed the buzzer, waiting as a short round nurse nearly skipped to the door to allow them in. The nurse tutted over the boys as she lead the Amaris to twin bundles at the far end of the room. Fareeha stood back, a look of pride on her face as Ana stepped forward and gently traced her fingers over the forehead and nose of each baby, words of prayer on her lips.

 

* * *

 

Brown eyes snapped open at the sharp wail and before the child could take a breath to continue his screaming, Fareeha was standing from the bed, arm stretched behind to wave off Angela as she woke as well. “You stay, I’ll get this one,” Fareeha said through a yawn, wiping at her tired face as she made her way to the bassinet in the corner of the master bedroom. She’d woken with them each time for the past four nights as Angela was still weak after her ordeal. It was a price Fareeha was more than willing to pay to have all of her family happy and healthy.

 

Well, mostly happy if the cries from her youngest were anything to go by. She gathered the crying bundle into her arms, rocking him against her chest. “ _La tabaki_ , Ansel.” The words were whispered into fine black hair as she fumbled to pick up a fleece blanket from the dresser, wrapping it around the tiny form. When he’d calmed slightly, she made her way down the hallway to the kitchen and one of the prepared bottles Angela had made earlier that day. She finished warming it and sat on a kitchen chair, teasing his lower lip with the bottle so he’d start to feed. Once he’d latched, she leaned back, eyes lovingly locked on her son.

 

* * *

 

“Okay, this just ain’t right. Is this-” The words were cut off by a wet cough and clearing of the throat. “What are you feedin’ these kids?”

 

Angela stood to the side with her hand plastered over her mouth to muffle the laughter as she watched Jesse attempt to clean the squirming baby. He’d make a small swipe at dirty skin but would quickly withdraw to gag, square his shoulders and then try once more. After a few rotations, he finally threw down the wet wipe in defeat.

 

“Yeah no, thain’t no way I’m doin’ that again.” He stepped back to allow the blonde room to work and she quickly had Kamaj cleaned and diapered once more.

 

“It’ll get easier with practice, Jesse.” She gave him a reassuring pat and gestured at the boy on the changing table. Jesse reached forward and scooped him up carefully, chuckling when tiny hands came up to scratch against his stubble.

 

* * *

 

A startling yelp echoed through the house and Fareeha was off and running to the office turned nursery. She sight she was met with left her torn, should she laugh? Cry? Record the moment for later? A broken sound from her wife settled the matter and Fareeha was moving forward, stopping beside the changing table with a naked Ansel and her soaked wife.

 

Two baby wipes were deftly pulled from the tub and dark hands wiped down Angela’s face and neck, cleaning her from the boy’s accident. Angela’s wet shirt was tugged over her head and her chest and stomach wiped down.

 

Fareeha kissed Angela’s temple after discretely checking it for urine and nudged the blonde toward the door. “Go take a shower, I’ll finish up here.” Angela made to leave, turning back to look at the Egyptian as she quickly finished up the diaper change. She grinned to herself and left, heading quickly for a very hot shower.

 

As soon as Fareeha heard the bedroom door shut, she burst into laughter.

 

* * *

 

To say that Angela was overprotective of her boys was an understatement. They were nowhere near crawling, but every safety device had been installed in the house. Detergents and soaps and cleaners all needed analysis in her home lab before they were used. Checkups were routine and she logged any irregularities as if she were writing a thesis on her children.

 

Thus she was acutely aware of the moment Kamaj’s cough started.

 

She paced in the nursery, one hand twisting a lock of hair that had fallen from the messy bun she’d thrown her hair into. Her mind raced through possible causes, croup, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, allergies… Her thoughts went to remedies, medicines, nanites? She’d never tested nanites on anyone younger than seven and she sure as hell wasn’t going to use her son as a lab rat. Her heart skipped a beat as Kamaj coughed again.

 

As if summoned by her stress, Fareeha popped her head in, an announcement of dinner dying on her lips. She moved forward and caught Angela mid-pace, wrapping strong arms around her fretting wife as she mumbled about her fears of a fatally ill child. Fareeha caught Angela’s face between gentle hands, forcing her to make eye contact.

 

“Ya amar, you are a doctor.” A tap of finger against temple. “Use that huge brain in there like one instead of a new mother. What are his symptoms? What deductions can you make regarding his health?”

 

The blonde nodded with a sigh. “You’re right.”

 

* * *

 

The flash of a camera lit the room for a moment as the two mothers stood by the crib, quietly laughing as they documented the scene before them. The boys lay in their crib, heads at each other’s feet. Ansel slept with his arms spread wide, foot kicking as he dreamed.

  
Kamaj lay with his arms wrapped tight around his brother’s calf, tugging his foot against his face.

 


	5. A lot of Firsts

Angela and Fareeha sat cross-legged, knees touching as they faced each other on the den floor still clad in sleepwear. They each had a boy on their calves, thumbs clenched in tiny fists as the brothers leaned on each other’s backs for support. The twins were cackling like mad at their mothers’ silly faces as they capitalized on the newest development in the Amari household: first laughs.

 

* * *

 

Angela rolled over with a groan, arm flinging to the side and smacking into a very asleep Fareeha with a dull thud. The ex-pilot shot awake and on instinct flung herself over her wife, eyes shooting to the crib to check on the boys. A calming hand swept over her back as Angela chuckled behind her. Fareeha shifted her gaze to the blonde as she lay against the pillows, face illuminated by the small nightlight by the boys’ bed. Angela raised a finger to her lips and gestured to the crib and that’s when Fareeha heard it.

 

Brown eyes locked on the crib, more specifically the two boys sprawled out on their sides facing each other, babbling in a heated conversation. A small grin took over Fareeha’s sleepy face and she laid back down, scooping an arm under Angela and they sat there, listening with grins on their faces as their boys took their time conversing.

 

* * *

 

Angela sat at the table between the highchairs, entertaining the boys as Fareeha stood at the stove tending to their morning breakfast. The blonde was making a game of their morning snack as she lightly flicked their strawberry puffs around the tray, trying to entice the boys to feed themselves.

 

Kamaj’s tiny fist slammed down, crushing the puff, but his bright blue eyes locked on Angela’s with a sense of triumph and the game was on. Tiny fists rained down on the helpless puffs, grinding them to dust, Kamaj cackling with glee.

 

A chuckle from Fareeha drew her attention to the Egyptian as she stood with her back to the stove, eyes locked on Ansel. She followed her gaze and was surprised to see Ansel calmly shoving a strawberry puff into his mouth, fingers along with it. He chewed happily and smiled up at Fareeha over pudgy cheeks, finger still in his mouth.

 

* * *

 

Fareeha stumbled from bed, glaring at the harsh sunlight streaming between the curtains as she made her way to the nursery. As she approached the door she heard a string of babbling and she poked her head inside, breath catching as she saw Angela laying back on the floor, Kamaj sitting on her stomach and Ansel draped over her shoulder, head resting on her chest.

 

Kamaj had a huge grin on his face as he stared at the blonde, awe and wonder on his tiny face as he garbled, “-Ami mimim amimi!”

 

Fareeha wanted to shout in happiness but carefully made her way to Angela and sat, silent as to not break the moment. She picked up the sleepy Ansel and held him up to her face, nose brushing playfully against his. “Alright, your turn Ansel. Say ‘mama.’” She sounded the word out a few more times for him, lips over exaggerating the movements and when he took a breath, both mothers held theirs.

 

With a huge grin, Ansel blew a raspberry that ended in a squeal of glee. Fareeha chuckled and dropped a kiss on his forehead. “That’s good enough, but you better eventually call me something that’s easier to pronounce.”

 

* * *

 

The mothers found themselves in their usual family time place: the floor in the den. Kamaj lay on the couch to their side completely asleep, worn out from their day at the park. Ansel was in front of Angela, hands clenched around her fingers as he stood bouncing, stretching and working his legs. He confidently babbled something to her and she grinned, blinking back tears. It was times like this that she saw so much of Fareeha in her youngest boy. There was no doubt in her mind that Ansel had just spouted off some boasting phrase about his ability to stand.

 

“Alright then, Mr. Amari. Let’s see what you’ve got, hmm?” She picked him up and turned him, setting him back to his feet and Fareeha’s hands were instantly out, used to this routine. They’d been trying to encourage the boys to walk for a while now and Kamaj had taken to it quickly, taking his first and only step two days prior. He’d sat and watched Ansel who’d refused to try and since, Kamaj hadn’t taken another step on his own.

 

Fareeha gave her fingers a wiggle, huge smile on her face as she waved her boy over. Angela moved her hands forward to encourage Ansel to move and he nearly fell forward but a pudgy leg shot out before he could fall. Both mothers held their breath as his other foot shuffled forward. Angela pulled one finger away and he took another step, the blonde rocking forward onto her knees to keep him supported, ecstatic grin on her face as she locked eyes with Fareeha.

 

“There you go, little bird, one more and I’ve got you,” Fareeha said as her hands moved toward the floor ready to catch him should he fall and she nodded to Angela. The blonde pulled her finger from Ansel’s fist and dropped her hands to hover just over his waist as he took one final step completely on his own.

 

* * *

 

Angela swept into the kitchen arms laden with bags from the store with a shout to Fareeha to help her put the groceries away. When she didn’t hear the ex-soldier’s heavy steps she made her way to the nursery but found it empty. Concerned, she began her search in the second most obvious place and found her wife and boys sprawled on the den floor and as soon as she took in their activity, she began to scold her wife.

 

“No! Absolutely not, they’re too young for that.” Angela said as she stepped forward, finger pointing at the tablet keeping Kamaj entertained. At Fareeha’s side, Ansel began up a chant of ‘no no no’ and Fareeha grinned.

 

“Ya amar, it’s a game made for developing minds, it helps with hand-eye coordination.” She pointed to the tablet’s screen and the small birds flitting over its surface, disappearing as Kamaj’s tiny fist made contact.

 

“I don’t want to be the mothers that give their children electronics to keep them distracted,” Angela said, already seeing the change in her wife’s expression and trailing her words to silence, dropping to sit at Fareeha’s side. “That’s a silly worry, isn’t it?”

 

Fareeha leaned over and bumped shoulders with Angela, head dropping to rest against blonde hair and nodding.

 

* * *

 

Fareeha flitted around the house, arms already full of supplies but still trying to grab more. Angela followed behind at a steady pace, calmly picking up the items dropped by her wife. When Fareeha tried to nudge a large bottle of baby powder from the shelf, Angela stepped in and snatched it up with a click of her tongue.

 

“Liebe, we have plenty. It’s only a few hours, we don’t need to pack everything.” Fareeha turned to look at her like she’d grown a second head and the moment stretched out until Angela reached forward and began plucking stuffed animals and extra shoes from Fareeha’s arms. “Let’s get this to a more manageable state and then we can leave, yes? You get the boys, I’ll finish up here.”

  
Without waiting for an answer, Angela turned and made her way to the diaper bag and double checked it for the items they truly needed. She nodded to herself as she zipped it up with a sense of finality and slung it over her shoulder. She turned and watched as Fareeha knelt in front of the stroller, strapping a squirming Kamaj into his seat, Ansel to his left calm and curious. Angela moved to the door and held it open as Fareeha pushed the twins out the door for their first birthday party.

 


	6. Chapter 6

A delighted squeal rang through the house before a wet thud echoed along with it. Angela looked up from her perch in the reading nook in their bedroom just in time to see a very wet and naked Ansel totter from the bathroom followed by an equally soaked Fareeha. The tiny body slammed into Angela’s knees with a giggle as he ran from his mother.

 

Blue eyes darted to the open bathroom door just as Kamaj made his escape, his plan involving a quick dash down the hallway. Amused blue eyes met brown. “I told you Fareeha, you need help.”   
  
Fareeha’s only response was an exaggerated pout as she turned to chase down Kamaj.

 

* * *

 

Angela stepped out of the bathroom, vigorously rubbing at her wet hair with a towel. She bit back a yawn as she made her way down the hallway toward the kitchen to begin breakfast. She could hear the boys chattering away in the den with Fareeha’s throaty chuckle mixed in and she smiled. Her eyes trailed over the framed photos along the hallway, stopping to admire family and baby photos. A pale hand came up to stroke along the glass as she froze in front of her favorite: Angela kneeling with a very obvious swell to her stomach, Fareeha behind her and all four hands and eyes on her protruding tummy. She grinned and turned to finish her trek to the den.

 

She stopped in her tracks as her eyes spotted a new bit of artwork on the wall. Angela heaved a sigh with her hands on her hips. “Ansel Rashad Amari.” She called, voice raised only enough to be heard in the den. “You get your butt in here right now.” The moment she registered what she’d said, her hand slapped over her forehead. 

 

As expected, the chant of “butt, butt, butt” started up as their youngest son toddled into the hall, huge grin on his face. Behind him, Fareeha’s head popped out of the doorway as she lay on the floor with Kamaj, trying her best to hold back her laughter.

 

Angela knelt next to the large scribble of crayon on the wall and held her hand out toward Ansel. The boy stepped up to her and she sat him on her knee, facing the wall. “Ansel, I really love when you draw pictures, but if you put them on the wall, we have to clean them off.”   
  


“And then mami gets sad,” Fareeha piped up from the floor, drawing Ansel’s eyes. “Because she wants to keep them forever.” Brown eyes connected with Angela’s over Ansel’s mop of wavy black hair.

 

Angela nodded when the boy’s attention shifted back to her. “So if we put it on paper, I can keep them. So let’s clean this up and get something to draw on, okay?”

 

Ansel nodded though both mothers knew he was oblivious, only eager to please.

 

* * *

 

Angela pulled her sun hat down further onto her head as the breeze picked up. She squinted out over the playground, even her sunglasses and the tree she hid under did nothing for the harsh brightness. She smiled as she watched Fareeha and Kamaj play in the massive sandbox, the boy giggling as he kicked a chubby foot through a pile of sand. Her gaze shifted down to the boy in her lap, sound asleep. She brushed a few stray strands of black hair from his face and returned to her book with a smile.

 

* * *

 

“Boys, come here!” Fareeha called from the kitchen, her summons answered with a swift patter of feet as the twins ran to their mother. Angela sat at the kitchen counter with a mug of tea between her hands, laughing as Ansel cried out ‘eat?’ as he scampered into the room ahead of his brother.

 

“No Ansel, it’s not time to eat just yet.” Angela said through a laugh. Fareeha sat in the doorframe reserved for growth charts, a bright orange poster stuck to the wall next to her. The twins approached and she tapped the floor in front of her to encourage them to sit as Angela dropped from her stool to sit next to them. “This,” Fareeha started, pointing to the poster on the wall, “Is our chore chart.” She went on to point out the cut out faces of the boys and both mothers, along with the chore pictures that lined the top edge. 

 

“Every time you help, you’ll get a sticker.” Angela spoke up, showing the boys the shiny sheet of stickers. “If you fill all of your squares with stickers, you’ll get a prize!” She stretched her face into an overly excited grin to lead the boys into their own excitement over the new chore chart.

 

* * *

 

“Help! Mama! Help! Mama!” Kamaj chanted as he toddled around the family room, cup clutched between his elbow and side. He’d stop above a fallen crayon, bend at the waist and after a few missed swipes, would successfully get it in a chubby fist. With a look of pride, he dropped the crayon into the cup held at his side. Kamaj looked up with a grin of joy at Fareeha who was carefully stacking drawn on papers into a pile. She returned his smile with her own, words of praise given freely. His smile grew even bigger and he made his way to the next fallen crayon but as he bent, the one he’d stored in the cup fell to the floor.

 

Fareeha watched as the boy turned it into a silly game, smiling and relaxing into a giant bean bag chair.

 

* * *

 

“Look ‘Reeha, I’m sorry, alright?” Jesse sat at the kitchen counter, head hung between balled fists. Fareeha stood against the far counter, leaning back against the marble, palms braced on the edge and her ankles crossed. Dark umber eyes glared holes into the top of Jesse’s head as he sat moping at the counter.

 

“So you’re going with ‘sorry,’ is that it?” The ex-pilot’s voice was sharp, a harsh commanding tone she’d all but abandoned since the birth of her boys. “You realize if Angela finds out about this, ‘sorry’ is the last thing she’ll want to hear.” 

 

A sigh from the cowboy. “I know! I fu-”

 

Fareeha pushed off from the counter with a growl. “That’s exactly why we’re here, Jess.” She sighed and leaned against the counter next to him, bracing herself on her elbows. “My two year old said ‘fuck’ today. What are we supposed to do with that, hm?” Jesse took a breath to respond though he knew the question was rhetorical. Fareeha gave him a firm punch to his upper arm as she stood. “You get to have that talk with him.” She pointed toward the family room, eyebrows raised expectantly.

 

He sighed and stood from his seat and sautered to the den, hands stuffed into his pockets. “Kamaj, c’mere.” He said as he reached the doorway, hand held out for the boy. “We’ve gotta have a little talk.” When a tiny hand wrapped around his finger, Jesse lead the boy down the hall to the privacy of the master bedroom.

 

He dropped to a knee in front of Kamaj and sighed. “Look kiddo, sometimes grownups say things that they shouldn’t. Like uh…” He paused, pushing a hand through his shaggy hair. “Your mom would kill me if I gave you more vocab…” He muttered to himself before trying his speech again. “Just… If you hear a new word, ask your mama about it, okay? Don’t yell it at the store okay?”

 

* * *

 

Angela flopped onto the bed exhausted. She rolled to her side with a groan when she landed on something hard. She fell to her side, hand already digging for the offending object. Fareeha came out of the bathroom just as the blonde was tugging a plastic cup from beneath the blankets. Her face pulled into a grimace as she looked inside.

  
“Oh I see he left another one.” Fareeha mused as she moved to Angela’s side of the bed, hand stretched out for the crayon-goo filled cup. "He really wants to earn his stickers, but apparently all that cleaning makes him super hungry." The blonde passed over the cup eagerly before standing and heading to the bathroom for a long, hot handwashing.


	7. Chapter 7

“They love Jesse and Hanzo, this will be no problem. Just let Aleks show off and Mei will without a doubt go on and on about their extended deployment, we’re golden.” Fareeha spoke as she pulled a shirt over her head. Angela sat cross-legged on the unmade bed, fiddling with a crinkle in the sheet as she watched her wife dress. The Egyptian smoothed her shirt as she walked to the bed, bending at the waist to drop a chaste kiss on her wife’s lips. “It’ll be fine. Now let’s go, they’ll be here soon.”

 

Angela nodded and took Fareeha’s hand as she held it out, pulling herself from the bed with a grin. “I suppose it  _ is _ silly of me to be nervous.”

 

Fareeha gave her a bright smile, eyes crinkling at the corners, the only sign of her age. “No, it’s a big step. Jess and Hanzo have been around since they were babies, Aleks and Mei are their first new people.” Fareeha tugged at the pale hand still held in hers, drawing Angela into a hug. “But you can’t be nervous when we go out there. They’ll pick up on it and we won’t recover.” She gave a squeeze before pulling away and heading to the family room.

  
Angela heaved a calming sigh before leaving the bedroom and making her way to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner. She’d decided on a simple meal that the boys would be comfortable with: breaded chicken, green beans, and cheesy rice. Mei and Aleks would be fine with anything and she’d rather cater to the twins if this was already going to be a trying experience for them. 

 

A knock at the door and both boys were running to it, giggling out cries of “Uncle Dess!” and “Hano!” Both mothers were right on their heels, Fareeha scooping them each up in an arm and stepping to the side as Angela reached forward to open the door. As soon as the boys saw the smiling, pink haired giant and the small woman who were clearly not their beloved godfathers, they buried their faces in their mother’s neck.

 

Aleks visibly wilted but Mei skipped right on inside with a huge grin, determined to keep up her spirits.

 

* * *

 

A shrill screech echoed through the house as Kamaj and Ansel came running down the hallway away from the boys’ room. Fareeha looked up from her seat on the couch in time to see a stark white three-year-old run into the kitchen to Angela. With a sigh she saved her work and stood, heading for the disaster she was sure she’d find.

 

She bypassed the kitchen completely and went straight to the nursery, jaw dropping as she took in the mess. Her children were ninjas. That was the only explanation for how they’d managed to cover their room in a mixture of diaper rash cream and baby powder. Silently.

 

A mocha hand came up to cover her mouth as she took in the full scope of the damage. It was time for an update to their room anyway but this was not how she wanted to kick off the renovations. With a deep sigh that nearly sent her coughing from the powder in the air, she turned and made her way to the broom closet for the vacuum. 

 

She gave a smile to Angela as she stood in the kitchen, both boys sat before her on the counter getting a firm lecture and a warm cloth. Fareeha returned to the war zone and began cleaning up, contemplating better places to hide the unused toiletries to avoid further incidents while she worked.

 

* * *

 

It was rare these days that Angela had to physically go into work as most of her duties were done from home, but on the days that she was needed for lectures or training, Fareeha did her best to entertain the boys. Her current distraction was a field trip to the local aquarium.

 

She and Hanzo were strolling through the darkened freshwater exhibit with a boy each on their shoulders, small hands fisted in hair for balance and in Ansel’s case: steering. To Hanzo’s credit, he took the tugs at his hair in stride, changing his direction at each excited pull. Grins were on all four faces as they made their way to the alligator pond, the boys pressing against the thick glass for a better look. A chubby finger jabbed at the barrier.

 

“Uncle Hano, why dey in dere?” Ansel asked, eyes glaring at the murky water.

 

“They live mostly in the water but they come onto land when needed.” The Japanese man explained.

 

“Why dey needed?” The small boy asked again. Fareeha bit her lip to quiet her laughter as she took a small step back out of the man’s eyesight. 

 

Hanzo, however, seemed completely oblivious to his fate. “To eat, hunt or sun themselves.” 

 

“Why dey no eat dere?” Ansel asked again, jabbing at the glass once more.

 

“They can and sometimes do.”

 

“Why?”

 

Ansel sank a few inches as Hanzo heaved a heavy sigh. “Because they do, musuko.” 

 

“But why?” Fareeha asked through deep chuckles, earning a glare from Hanzo.

 

* * *

 

Fareeha closed the garage door behind her and jiggled the handle to ensure it’s lock held before dropping her greasy towel into the ‘garage only’ hamper. She pulled the laundry room door closed for good measure and smiled as she smelled gingersnaps cooking in the kitchen.

 

She poked her head in the doorway, ready for a quick banter with her wife before she hopped in the shower, but all words died in her throat as she took in the scene.

 

Angela sat at the table with a boy on each side, books and papers spread out on the table as she coached them through basic math. They boys had been counting and saying their alphabet nearly since they could string words together and it seemed Angela was intent on getting them as far ahead as she could.

 

Umber eyes took in her boys with a slight bit of concern; Angela was known to go a bit overboard when she was focused on the children’s futures. Kamaj sat with a crayon clutched in his fist and a determined look on his face as he tried to follow the dotted lines forming numbers on his sheet of paper. Ansel was staring at Angela with a look of reverence, finger in the side of his mouth. A chubby finger moved between Angela’s two upheld index fingers as he excitedly counted.

  
Fareeha grinned out a sigh, shaking her head as she made her way to the shower, small laughs following her.

 

* * *

 

Angela wasn’t sure what to expect when Kamaj demanded he dress himself before the small get together at Jesse and Hanzo’s. She did know that nothing could have prepared her for what she saw when she entered the boys’ room. Ansel sat quietly on his small toddler bed, chin resting on the plush toy held in his lap, bright blue eyes locked on his brother.

 

Kamaj stood in front of the wall mounted mirror in Fareeha’s combat boots, some tiny scrap of a skirt Lena had convinced Angela to wear at some point, a lime green tank top and Fareeha’s sunglasses. Angela slapped a hand to her mouth, determined not to let her son think she was laughing at him. He looked up with a full faced grin, eyes glittering with pride.

 

“Mami! I ready!”

 

“That you are, little bird!” Angela said, holding out a hand to her son, spinning him when he clutched her fingers. “You’ll be one of the most dashing little boys there.” She shot a grin to Ansel. “You two will be the talk of the party.”

 

* * *

 

Fareeha was lounging in the den, curled up on the plush couch with her tablet balanced on her knee as she finished up a coding project. Cramped arms pulled above her head in a long stretch as she arched her neck to get a read on the wall clock. She had time to finish up dinner before Angela returned from her conference.

 

With a determined nod, she pushed herself from the couch and made her way to the kitchen, mentally listing off things she could have prepared and waiting on the table for her wife. 

 

She was just closing the oven with her hip as she set the timer when Ansel shuffled into the room. “Mama I sleepy.” He mumbled, tiredly rubbing at his eye.

 

“Well hello, Mr. Sleepy,” She said with a grin. “I’m mama.”

 

* * *

 

Angela checked the boys’ room for a third time as Fareeha searched the other end of the house. What had started as a game of hide and seek had quickly derailed when they couldn’t find Kamaj. The boy’s usual idea of a great hiding spot is partially behind something with his hand slapped over his eyes, so his disappearing act was quite unexpected.

 

The blonde was heading toward the kitchen when she heard Fareeha’s shout. Her heart leaped into her throat as she raced toward her wife’s voice but when she heard the deep chuckles she slowed and allowed herself to calm. Fareeha was standing at the door to the hallway bathroom trying her hardest to contain any more laughter. When Angela stepped up to her side, she was hard pressed to keep her giggles to herself.

 

Kamaj sat fully in the toilet, knees at his ears as his bottom was undoubtedly in the cold water. His face was sat in a glare as he watched his mothers stand there and do nothing to help him.

 

In his anger, he kicked his feet but it only resulted in a more comical scene and both mothers broke into loud peals of laughter.

 

* * *

 

“Mami!” Came Kamaj’s frightened yelp from the boys’ room. Within moments Angela was whipping through the door, hand braced on the frame for leverage. Her son stood in the middle of the room completely naked, staring wide-eyed at his crotch. “It awake!” He said, giving a prod between his legs.

 

Angela quietly sighed and stepped to the dresser, pulling out a pair of underwear and sleep pants. She dropped to a knee in front of Kamaj and helped him dress as she spoke. “Yes, biene. Sometimes it will be awake.”

 

“It need sleep.” He said matter-of-factly with a firm nod and jutted lip. 

  
Angela chuckled as she tugged the waistband of his pants into place. “It will, Kamaj, it’ll go to sleep soon, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry about the delay on this one. There's a lot of stuff going on where I work and I've been doing weird shifts.


	8. Chapter 8

Angela sat in the stiff chair, back rigidly straight and knee bouncing as blue eyes darted around the clinic’s waiting room. A warm hand settled over her pale fingers as they dug into her skirt and Fareeha’s calm washed over her immediately. 

 

“No getting ahead of ourselves this time, okay?” Angela said as her nerves began to calm. Fareeha only chuckled as it was not lost on her that her wife’s words were not a reminder for the Egyptian. She gave a tight squeeze to Angela’s fingers as she continued to read the parenting magazine on her thigh. Angela huffed out a sigh as her head dropped to Fareeha’s shoulder.

 

“One try,” Fareeha said quietly as she turned to drop a kiss among white-blonde bangs. Angela turned her hand under Fareeha’s, threading their fingers together and gripping tightly. She nodded.

 

The door opened and a nurse poked her head inside the small waiting room. “Angela Amari?” 

 

Angela shot to her feet, nerves once more taking hold. Behind her, Fareeha calmly stood and dropped her magazine to the table before wrapping an arm around her shaking wife and leading her to their appointment with Dr. Harper.

 

* * *

 

The scuffle of tiny feet joined the sniffing and coughing in the dark room. Fareeha had been feeling under the weather for a while but had finally succumbed. Angela swore she wasn’t contagious, Fareeha supposed it’d be difficult to transfer utter death. She sat under a mound of blankets in the middle of the bed, television softly playing in the background. Her blank stare moved from the infomercial to the mop of wavy black hair barely visible over the fluffed up comforter. She smiled as chocolate eyes met crystal blue.

 

“I maded you soup, mama.” The small boy said as he raised a mug above his head. Fareeha reached out and took the offered cup with one hand, the other ruffling his hair. She looked up to the doorway and spotted Angela with a sweet smile on her lips. At her side and clutching her leg, as usual, was Ansel. Fareeha leaned to the side and deposited her soup on the bedside table before leaning forward and grabbing up her son.

 

“But didn’t your mami tell you, Kamaj,” Fareeha began, settling the squirmy four-year-old into her lap. She locked eyes with her wife and smiled. “Laughter is the best medicine.” Angela grinned and lowered her head to hide her slight blush, nudging the boy at her leg forward. He tottered forward slowly, finger in the side of his mouth and looked back to ensure the blonde was following. When he saw her move forward, he dashed to the blanket ridden Fareeha and jumped onto the bed with a giggle.

 

The ex-pilot wrapped a blanket covered arm around the new arrival and held her right out for Angela to sink into.

 

“Ansel made you something as well, Fareehali,” Angela spoke quietly, giving a pointed look to the youngest twin. With a mischievous grin that neither parent took credit for passing on, Ansel withdrew a scrunched up bit of paper from his pocket, which was Fareeha noted, simply down his pants. Ansel held up the paper, unfolding it directly in the ex-pilot’s face causing her to go a bit cross-eyed.

She was still able to make out the crudely drawn Raptora linked to Mercy via yellow stream, a small Raptora and Mercy twin-set at the bottom.

 

“We keep the sky clear, mama.”

 

* * *

 

The sound of dropped cup drew Angela to the kitchen to check on the situation. 

 

Judging from the current standings in the Amari household, it would be Kamaj, most likely scaling counters in order to reach something Fareeha had stashed away.

 

She froze in the doorway.

 

Ansel stood on a kitchen chair at the sink, covered in suds and soaked to the bone. He turned to look at Angela, wide smile showing his missing teeth. “I did the dishes for you, mami!”

 

* * *

 

The low hum of the ceiling fan and quiet chirping of crickets was interrupted by the door creaking open, a small strip of light from the nightlight in the hallway illuminating the sleeping Egyptian. Tiny feet padded over the thick carpet, stopping at the side of the bed.

 

“Mama.” Dark umber eyes shot open, locking on the small boy inches from her face. Tear tracks painted his face, nose wet and finger in its usual place in the side of his mouth. Fareeha lifted the blanket and beckoned Ansel up to the bed. The boy quickly jumped up, tucking into Fareeha’s arms.

 

The Egyptian pulled him close, his small back slotting perfectly against her chest. She wrapped a secure arm around him, a silent promise of safety. “Did you have a nightmare, habibi?” A sniff and a small nod were the reply. “Was it about mami?” Fareeha asked after a few moments of silence.

 

“She was sleeping an’ didn’t wake up,” Ansel whispered, voice watery.

Fareeha gave a small sigh and dropped a kiss to the messy hair at her nose. 

 

“Mami is fine, little bird. She’ll be back before you know it.”

 

“But she didn’t wake up.” The repeated words proof that the dream shook her son to his core.

 

“Your mami can take care of herself, Ansel. She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met.” The small back stiffened before shifting, blue eyes nearly glowing when they locked on her.

 

“No way!” Came the small voice, causing Fareeha to preen at his surprise. It was nice to see that her son felt she was stro- “There’s no way she’s stronger than Auntie Zary.” Chocolate eyes narrowed on her son before attacking his sides with nimble fingers.

 

“I’ll stop when you admit I’m stronger.” Fareeha threatened through laughs of her own, her low timbre nearly harmonizing with his higher pitched giggles.

 

“Mama is stronger!” Ansel squeezed out between laughs.

 

Fareeha nudged him back to his side, tucking him under an arm and chin. “That’s more like it.” She grinned and dropped another kiss on the top of his head. “Now sleep, little bird. I’ll keep the nightmares away.”

 

* * *

 

Hanzo was relaxing in the back garden when a visibly angry Kamaj stomped out onto the back porch, arms crossed and bottom lip jutted out. Hanzo looked from the boy to the sliding glass door and to Jesse and Ansel sat at the dining table just beyond. 

 

“Uncle Hano!” Kamaj demanded, angry blue eyes locking on the Japanese man as he thundered his way over. “Ansel being mean.” Small arms wiped at dampened cheeks. “Bring me his head!”

 

Any words of comfort that Hanzo was gathering flew from his mind at the strange command from his godson. “ _ Nan _ \- What did you say?”

 

“Bring me his head.”

 

Hanzo sighed and reached over to tug the small boy into his lap, eyes boring into Kamaj’s watery blue. “Do not say that. You do not know what it means.”

 

Kamaj was already nodding. “Do too, Uncle Hano. Means him die.” Sticky hands came up to brace against either side of Hanzo’s face, mushing into his cheeks. “Ansel mean, Ansel die.”

 

He said it with such finality that Hanzo had to swallow and take a moment to wrap his mind around the situation. He reached up and gently plucked the boy's hands from his face with a sigh. “You cannot kill your brother.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because he will be the one there to fight for you and defend you when you have no other.” Dark eyes dropped to the small hands clenched against his chest, mind drifting to a different brother. “Your brother is your ally, not your enemy.

 

* * *

 

A pair of manila folders were dropped against the table to straighten their contents as an elderly woman scooted toward her desk. With a few deft flicks of her hand, the folders were flipped open and she leaned across the papers to address Angela and Fareeha.

 

“Your sons tested remarkably. They are more advanced than the standard child we see in our kindergarten classes.” Both mothers beamed at this news though they’d expected and prepared for it. Judging by their advantages and testing, I’m suggesting they skip ahead to a class level that is more challenging.”

 

Angela stared at the woman, eyes slightly narrowed. “They are not skipping kindergarten. It teaches social skills more than anything substantial for further education.”

 

Fareeha nodded. “They’ve never been around children their age for extended periods. They’ve only known adults.”

 

“Your children would receive the same social training from a first or second year class as well.” The woman continued.

 

“Yes, and they would learn the joys of being outcasts because of their age,” Angela said with a huff, arms crossing over her chest.

 

Fareeha held up a calming hand as she looked between her wife and the school representative. “They will attend kindergarten this year and  _ then _ we can speak about moving them ahead. Does that seem fair?” Fareeha’s gaze shifted solely to her wife. Angela agreed with a puff of air through her nose.

 

* * *

 

Fareeha and Angela walked the five-year-old twins into their shared room and pointed them to Kamaj’s bed. When they were perched on the edge Fareeha knelt before them, Angela joining them on the bed.

 

“Boys, we have some news,” Fareeha said, a hand on each boy’s knee. “Remember how mami and I told you that we wanted two special boys so much that we did whatever we could to get them?” The boys nodded, Ansel glancing up to Angela. The blonde gave him a reassuring rub on the back before looking pointedly back to her wife.

 

“Mami and I decided that we wanted one more for our family. We wanted you to have someone to love and play with and to watch your backs as much as you will theirs.” Fareeha looked up at Angela, pride and happiness evident in her brown eyes.

 

“So in a few months,” Angela began, smiling as both boys looked over with excitement. “You’ll have a little sister.” She smoothed a hand over her slightly swollen belly.

 

“And you two will have to protect her. Just like we will protect you all.” Fareeha said, pulling their attention back.

 

“Just like you protect seebillians, mama?” Ansel asked, earning a chuckle from the doctor as his pronunciation.

 

“Yes, little bird, just like that,” Fareeha said with a chuckle. “Can you do that for us?”

 

Both boys nodded fervently. Kamaj spoke up, his face fierce. “Cross our hearts and hope to die.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fluff inbound.

Angela lazily watched as the scenery slipped past with one eye, the other drooped closed in her road-daze, following the rolling hills with her hand. She sighed happily into the silence and the sentiment was returned by Fareeha in the driver’s seat. The boys had fallen asleep twenty miles back.

 

They’d decided to take an extended vacation before Angela became too big to be comfortable sitting in a tiny car, so now they were driving cross country, lazily stopping at any attractions that caught their attention on the way to the movie-themed park the boys desperately wanted to visit. Fareeha’s hand settled over Angela’s thigh, giving it a slight squeeze.

 

“How are you feeling?” The question was one that had been repeated regularly but Angela had yet to tire of it. The dopey adoration on her wife’s face was the most heartwarming thing she could imagine.

 

Angela closed her hand over Fareeha’s, thumb tracing along the dark fingers as she leaned over to check the gas gauge. “I’ll be fine until we need to refill.” 

 

Fareeha gave her a sweet smile and her thigh another squeeze. “If you need me to stop-”   
  
Angela laughed. “Of course.”

 

\-----

 

“Do you hear that?” Angela asked as she relaxed on their bed, making Fareeha pause halfway through removing her grease covered shirt. Angela bit her lip as she watched her wife strip over the top of her book, wiggling her brows when their eyes met. Fareeha merely chuckled as she tugged on a clean tank before dropping on the bed, tucking against Angela with a happy sigh. 

 

“What am I supposed to be hearing, ya amar,” Fareeha spoke, words muffled by Angela’s neck. A pale hand swept over Fareeha’s shoulder, fingers tickling the scarred flesh.

 

“Silence. For once it’s not worrying.” 

 

Fareeha chuckled as she rolled to her hands and knees above Angela, a sly smirk on her lips. “I can fix that.” She gave the blonde a heated stare through her lashes as her lips made a path down Angela’s chest.

 

Just as her chin brushed the swell of Angela’s stomach, Fareeha paused. Her hands trailed up Angela’s hips, thumbs hooking in the hem of the ratty Egyptian Army shirt and pushing it up over her belly. Fareeha spoke softly, a kiss between every few words, as she promised their tiny daughter the world, vowed to protect and shield her and bragged on her perfect mami and brothers.

 

\-----

 

Angela and Fareeha stood at the top of the stairs, a boy each in front of them, hands wrapped over their eyes as makeshift blindfolds. 

 

“Are you two ready to see your new room?” Angela asked as she removed a hand to open the door, ensuring Kamaj couldn’t see around her remaining hand. The pair nudged the boys forward and into the new room. With an exaggerated ‘tadaa!’ They removed their hands to allow the boys to take in their new space.

 

It was painted a sleek gray with red and blue accents throughout, two beds tucked against the far wall with nightstands and the bathroom door between them. Bookshelves and dressers sat against the wall to their right and various toys and play areas filled the rest of the room. Kamaj instantly dashed toward the small plastic and wooden workbench he’d been missing since the remodel, happily playing with his long lost favorite toy.

 

Ansel quietly took in the room and his brother’s eagerness before trotting to a shelf, pulling out a picture book and dropping to the red blanketed bed with every bit of teen angst he could cram into his tiny body. 

 

The moms had explained to the boys why they needed a new room, citing every example they could without directly blaming the need to convert their old room back into a nursery for the quickly approaching new addition. Kamaj had taken it in stride, excited for the change. 

 

Ansel was not as enthused.

 

\-----

 

“Kamaj Falke!” Angela spoke, voice even and calm despite the screaming Ansel trying to hide behind her back as she crouched, his blue eyes filled to the brim with tears. “You will apologize to your brother this instant, we do not hit in this family.”

 

Kamaj stood as straight as a pin before his mother, feet slightly apart and his hands folded behind his back, every bit of Fareeha when she was the recipient of one of Angela’s lectures. His calm apology had little effect on his screaming brother, but the lesson was the more important. She could fix a screaming five-year-old herself.

 

She affixed Kamaj with a final look before sighing. “You’re dismissed.” She said, giving a playful salute to her son. He simply nodded and spun on his heel, walking from the room.

  
“What am I going to do with  _ two  _ Fareehas…” She grouched to herself as she turned to calm Ansel.

 

\-----

 

Fareeha shot awake at the sound of the bathroom door closing. She rolled to her side to check the time on the phone when she heard the violent retching from behind the door. She allowed her momentum to carry her to her feet, padding across the carpet to the en suite and entering quietly.

 

Angela sat kneeling on the floor, one arm crossed over the toilet seat and her head resting on her forearm. Fareeha grabbed up a clean cloth, soaking it with cool water from the tap before wringing it slightly and dropping to her knees beside her wife. She swept the cloth over the blonde’s neck and face, murmuring calming words as another wave of nausea swept over her.

 

When she was finished, Fareeha wiped Angela’s mouth before the blonde broke into a frustrated sob. The ex-pilot pulled her into her lap, rubbing her back soothingly.

 

\-----

 

Angela sat in the breakfast nook, a bowl of Froot Loops in front of her, a plate of sliced dill pickles at the ready. Fareeha was across the kitchen cleaning up from the boys’ breakfast as they chatted while Angela munched at her latest craving.

 

“I’ve been thinking…” Fareeha started as she folded her drying towel over the oven’s handle. She kept her back to her wife as she collected her thoughts, eyes darting back to observe the blonde as she sat at the table, balancing a pickle on her spoon of sugary cereal with a look of determined concentration. Fareeha chuckled and turned back to the sink to finish her cleanup. “We haven’t had the dreaded naming argument this time. Should I be worried?”

 

Angela was silent as she chewed her breakfast but Fareeha could feel her wife’s eyes on her back. She took a breath and continued. “I was thinking Adelaide.”

 

Fareeha was expecting some form of shocked reaction but still winced when the blonde’s spoon hit the table. Fareeha turned, ready to comfort her wife from the emotions her suggestions no doubt stirred up but was shocked to find Angela smiling at her. She moved to sit next to Angela, a hand already stroking at her forearm.

 

“Really?” The question was quiet, barely a breath over Angela’s smiling lips. Fareeha leaned forward, kissing her sweetly and barely hiding the grimace at the taste of pickle and cereal on her wife’s lips.

 

“I want you to have a piece of your mother with you.” 

 

Angela began to freely cry, silent tears tracking down her cheeks as she stared into Fareeha’s dark eyes, a wet smile playing at her lips. Fareeha stroked the tears from Angela’s face before dropping her hands to her wife’s swollen belly. 

 

Angela sniffed. “I want her middle name to be in honor of your father.” Fareeha burst into laughter, shocking a squeak out of the blonde. “We can find a way to make it more feminine.” Angela defended with a pout.

 

Fareeha smirked, tugging Angela into her side. “I doubt I could keep a straight face calling her Adelaide Buford.” Fareeha traced a small pattern over the stretched skin. “I was actually thinking of Inara.”

 

\-----

 

The first of December marked a crazy change in the Amari household. The normally stoic Fareeha broke her mold and became the stereotypical enthusiastic housewife. Decorations were hung, carols were sung and cookies were baked. 

 

Angela’s least favorite aspect of the Christmas Fareeha was currently showing itself.

 

Fareeha excitedly plopped both boys on the couch and directed Angela to sit between them before squeezing herself next to her wife with a giddy grin. Once everyone was settled, she started the movie. 

 

‘A Christmas Story’ was a tradition that Jesse had forced upon the Egyptian when she was younger, him hauling out old DVDs and making her watch them every December, claiming it was necessary for the holiday. 

 

She’d never really understood the joy of watching the cheesy film until she’d had a family of her own.

 

So now she sat here, squished on the couch with her family, the boys both asleep by the hour mark and Angela leaning heavily into her side as she struggled to stay awake through the entirety of the movie. Angela began to rouse from her light doze when she felt Fareeha tensing beside her.

 

She looked up at her wife, smiling at the sheer joy she saw on her face, her dark eyes locked on the scene on the TV, the family at a Chinese restaurant.

 

Fareeha was practically vibrating with glee as she turned to Angela and sang along with the restaurant staff on screen. “Pharah-rah-rah-rah!” 

 

The smirk on the Egyptian’s face was maddeningly beautiful.

 

\-----

 

Angela softly closed the book with a contented smile, casting her eyes over the sleeping boys at her sides. Kamaj, ever the embodiment of her wife, lay facing the door with a caramel arm thrown over the side, breath heavy through his open mouth. He’d sleep through anything including Angela crawling off of the bed. 

 

Ansel was wrapped around her thigh, a hand fisted in her shirt. That would be the tricky one to escape, especially with her eight-month belly. With slow and tiny movements, she started shifting her son from her leg and was nearly free when the whisper came.

 

“Just one more chapter, mami?”


	10. Chapter 10

Fareeha was dead to the world, laying facedown on their plush bed, face buried in sheets and pillows. Her arms were haphazardly thrown, one leg tangled in the sheet that she habitually pulled from its crisp tuck much to Angela’s frustration. Her lips were parted in a gentle panting snore and at the timid touch of hand to her shoulder blade she was awake, eyes wide and turning toward her wife. Angela lay beside her propped up on a pillow with a faint gleam of tears in her eyes. 

 

“I’m scared.” Came her whisper, voice clogged with unshed tears. With a small comforting sound in the back of her throat, Fareeha tugged Angela to her side, her arm wrapping securely around her shoulders while her free hand carefully smoothed over the tightly stretched skin of her wife’s stomach. Angela’s shoulders shook as she finally began to cry in earnest, burying her face in Fareeha’s neck. The Egyptian whispered soothing words into Angela’s hair, feathering kisses among the blonde strands. Angela’s sobs began to calm as Fareeha’s hands stroked at her shoulders and belly.

 

“You’ve done the research for this, ya amar. You yourself said a natural birth was too risky.” Angela nodded with a wet sniffle. “Would you like some tea?” Another nod. Fareeha smiled and dropped a final kiss on her wife’s head before pulling herself from her nest and padding to the kitchen.

 

When she returned with a warm mug and the boys’ “monster spray” which was nothing more than a lavender and water mixture in a spray bottle, Angela was already curled on her side lightly dozing. Fareeha smiled softly and deposited the tea on the bedside table before giving a few small spritzes of the calming lavender spray around the room.

 

* * *

 

“Ansel honey, I need you to sit down for a moment.” Angela tutted as she lead the crying boy to a beanbag chair in the corner of the family room. She sighed through a smile as she finally got him to sit still, though she could tell he was ready to start clinging again. “Mami needs to finish up lunch and then we can cuddle all afternoon, okay?” Her smile fell a bit when he started sobbing once more. She started preparing for the long descent to her knee, situating her center of balance and preparing for the wave of vertigo when Fareeha entered their home.

 

Fareeha hung her keys on the hook by the door with a greeting tossed over her shoulder, but Ansel’s wails snapped her attention to the family room, her crying boy, and her struggling wife. She took off at a jog, hands held out and a plea for Angela to stay standing. When she stopped next to Angela, Fareeha wrapped a grounding hand around the back of her neck and dropped a kiss on her cheek with a smile. “Go take care of what you need to, I’ll handle this little one.” With a wink, Fareeha turned and dropped to her heels, arms crossed over her knees as she looked over the boy, checking for injury. She had just completed her assessment of Ansel when he shot forward, tiny arms wrapping around her neck with a grip that spoke volumes. Fareeha braced an arm behind her and shifted to sitting before wrapping both arms around her crying son, murmuring soothing words as she rocked him.

 

* * *

 

Angela and Fareeha sat on the oversized cream armchair tucked into the corner of the new nursery, the blonde pulled tightly into Fareeha’s lap as they gazed over the room. Angela’s head dropped back to rest on the Egyptian’s shoulder with a happy sigh as she threaded their fingers together. Fareeha nuzzled along Angela’s jaw with a chuckle, both basking in the calming joy of the room, the sunlight pouring through the windows. They’d picked a calming sage green for Adelaide’s room but Angela demanded at least some frilly color, so they compromised with the gauzy pink curtains and accents.

 

“You ready for tomorrow?” Fareeha rumbled from behind her, dark hands splayed over Angela’s bulging stomach.

 

The blonde merely hummed happily before chuckling softly. “Are you sure you’re not regretting carrying this one?” She could feel Fareeha’s breath of laughter on her ear.

 

“No one wants nor  _ needs _ another pregnant Amari in the world. I’m still hearing horror stories of my mother.” She felt Angela stiffen in her lap, preparing to turn toward her. Fareeha simply tightened her grip and dropped her chin to her shoulder. “You’re a wonderful pregnant Amari, but ya amar, you have to admit I’d be a terror.”

 

* * *

 

Fareeha sat at the head of the bed, her thumb smoothing over Angela’s forehead, tucking a stray lock of hair into her hairnet as the doctor began prepping her. Angela’s grin was both a mask for her nervousness and a childlike glee, only faltering when the doctor administered the epidural. Once she was moved to her back and ready for the procedure, the doctor looked up with a smile, laugh lines visible above his surgical mask. 

 

“Mrs. Amari, I’m not going to have you escort you out this time, correct?” His joke earned a playful glare from the Egyptian.

 

“You have to admit, Dr. Augustine,” Fareeha said, her words slightly muffled by a mask of her own. “The last time was a bit more hectic and stressful.” The doctor simply nodded, grin on his face but clearly thinking back to the birth of the twins that nearly cost the Amari family dearly and Fareeha’s enraged response to her wife’s near death experience.

 

Fareeha smiled down at her wife, a show of comfort after the shift in attitude in the room. Angela was glaring at the barrier at her chest as she grumbled about Dr. Augustine and his idea of comedy. Fareeha chuckled and gave her wife’s hand a squeeze.

 

Blue eyes shot to hers and Fareeha grinned, leaning down to nuzzle noses. The two chatted as the procedure began, eager to distract Angela and keep her thoughts far away from the last time she’d undergone a cesarean. Soon enough, the doctor was raising a messy and wailing baby girl over the barrier and onto Angela’s chest, both mothers checking over their newest baby bird with tears in their eyes.

 

“Hi, Adelaide,” Angela whispered, her finger teasing at the girl’s tiny fingers.

 

* * *

  
Ever since their mutual retirement, Angela and Fareeha had taken up a few freelance projects to continue down their respective paths of healing and justice.

Fareeha had claimed their garage as her workshop. Angela took the entirety of the basement.

 

The ex-pilot spent her spare time working on programming changes and minor tweaks to armor, weapons, and utilities while Angela tweaked her nanites to do new and wondrous things. One of these projects is what brought Ana by regularly, much to Fareeha’s chagrin.

 

Her wife and mother would stay in the basement for hours, jibbering on about nanite diffusion this and saturation radius that. The nature of their work, the two rambunctious six-year-olds and the newborn Adie lead Fareeha to install various locks on the basement door.

 

Locks that she had to shout after her mother to remember every time the woman went downstairs.

 

The sniper and retired doctor sat on opposite sides of the table, hologram between them with schematics displayed in glowing gold. The light from the projector was the only source which gave the basement laboratory a sinister feel. Angela would catch herself with a giddy sense of excitement as she pictured herself the villain in one of her old movies. The tweaks they were making to Ana’s grenade could actually classify its users as said villain, so it was applicable.

 

Ana requested a faster and wider spread of her biotic grenade which was easy enough to change. The solution of nanites, however, gave Angela pause. She was able to alter their behavior enough that the normal rate of decay was amplified giving the grenade more stopping power, but the end result was a nearly acidic breakdown at the molecular level. It was truly vicious and Angela could not deem it a required feature of the grenade. Therefore, they were back to square one.

 

Angela would turn in her chair to run her eyes over the previous attempts for inspiration, the failures and near misses sitting in their glass tubing with vacuum seals along one wall. She’d stare into the gold, purple, even black pools of nanite solutions and something would pop into her mind, causing her to spin back quickly, fingers already flying over the keyboard of her tablet.

 

Angela was sat hunched over her tablet, pouring over readouts of their latest trial, Ana had gone upstairs on a tea expedition. Footsteps sounded down the stairs and Angela began to relay her revelations to the elder Amari. There was no response but that was normal for the woman. Angela continued on about her discovery and possible changes that could be made when she heard the shattering of glass.

 

The blood-curdling scream reverberated in the basement as Angela whipped her head to the sound of the breaking glass. Ansel sat against the wall, frantically trying to wipe the deep purple nanite solution from his arm even as it began its trek through his skin. Fareeha thundered down the stairs taking them in leaps, her war face firmly in place. Ana began to follow but a growled command from the ex-pilot to stay upstairs with the other two children stopped the sniper in her tracks.

 

Fareeha dashed to her screaming boy and gently pulled his hand away from his frantic scrubbing, whispering calming words into his ear as her eyes locked on the blonde doctor who was sprinting to the pair, hands ripping open the plastic coating on a diffusion kit. Ansel fought against Fareeha, his instincts telling him to wipe the offending goo from his arm despite it eating at his hand.

 

Angela dropped to her knees and with a panic on her face that never reached her surgeon’s hands, she poured the solution over the boy’s arm and hand with a watery smile of reassurance. Fareeha leaned back, pulling her son firmly into her lap once the kit did it’s work, holding him close as Angela applied a nanite-infused gauze to the area. When the doctor was through, she leaned forward with shaking arms, wrapping the two in a hug.

 

The three sat on the floor in a lump. Fareeha breathing in her son’s scent to calm her nerves and ground herself in the realization that he was safe. Angela silently begging for forgiveness for her lack of attention that lead to her son being hurt.

 

Ansel whimpering a small and quiet “‘m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

 

Both mothers finally let the tears fall.


	11. Chapter 11

“Fareehali, you’re going to have to wait outside,” Angela whispered with a slightly downturned mouth as they stood next to their car, the boys sitting in their booster seats in the back. When her wife began to protest, the blonde continued. “If the boys see you acting like this, they’ll never stay a full day.”

 

“I can hold it together. I’ve been in worse situations.” Fareeha scoffed, trying to mask the sadness on her face.

 

Angela gave her wife a placating smile. “We both know that the second they walk through that door, you’ll lose it.” Angela gave a comforting squeeze to the taller woman’s biceps. “First days are very important, Liebe. They need to be able to do this without thinking they’re killing their mama.”

Fareeha just sighed, knowing that the fight was lost. She nodded and plastered a smile on her face before leaning past Angela to open the back door. Once the twins were out and on the pavement complete with backpacks, Fareeha waved them off. “Be safe, ya abnā. Look both ways!”

Angela laughed off Fareeha’s concern as she lead the boys across the footpath that was barely wide enough for a bicycle to traverse. “Say ‘byebye’ to your silly mama, boys.”

 

“Life lessons, ya amar!” Fareeha called back, earning another bell-like peal of laughter as the only response from the blonde as she lead their sons by the hands toward the large double doors. She stood at attention and watched her wife take her two boys into the building. The first few tears slid down her cheeks. She’d never admit it aloud, but Angela was right. She would have never held it together if she’d gone into the school with them.

 

She stood there for what seemed like ages, staring at the door blankly, more than happy that Jess had kept Adie for the day. Suddenly the main door cracked open and a pale hand shot out, motioning for Fareeha to come over with a few frantic flicks of the wrist. Knowing that her wife would be much more panicked (or have leveled the school to the ground) had something been wrong, Fareeha took off across the pavement with a sigh, mashing a thumb against the keyfob to lock the car as she stuffed her keys in her pocket.

 

As soon as she reached the door, Angela was grabbing her wrist and dragging her inside. After a short pitstop at the office for Fareeha’s visitor badge, they nearly skipped down the brightly lit hallway toward the boys’ classroom. Angela pulled her wife to a stop just outside the door before pointing at the small window in the wood with a giddy grin. Fareeha stepped forward and peeked in and there amongst the circle of kindergarteners sat her twins, clapping along with whatever song the teacher was leading the class through.

 

Fareeha sighed, the sound thick with unshed tears, as she wrapped an arm around Angela’s waist and gave her a firm tug. Angela’s arms came up to wrap around the taller woman as her eyes darted between Fareeha’s glistening umber and her two boys sitting just beyond the glass.

 

“They’ll be okay,” Fareeha said, the words muffled slightly as she brought her free hand up to swipe at her eyes. “They’re okay.”

 

* * *

 

“Alright parents, our first practice will be next Tuesday. Make sure you give your kid’s sizes to Rachel so we can get your shirts to you.” The collection of parents nodded, some jotting notes down in overstuffed planners. “If you go to SportKing and ask for Rodney, he’ll get you a good discount on cleats and equipment. If you have any questions, come on over. Don’t forget to get with Rachel on your sizes.” And with that, the coach turned and made his way to the dugout, leaving the parents sitting on the metal risers to talk amongst themselves before breaking off to visit Rachel.

 

Angela pulled herself to her feet and made her way to the woman, eyes flitting over her boys playing in the loose clay at the edge of the field before heading opposite them to finish her business with the perky redhead with a clipboard.

 

Fareeha was stood next to the risers, eyes trained with a hawk-like focus on her sons, bouncing the tiny bundle of baby in her arms, trying to calm the girl after her near panic at having her diaper changed. Fareeha shifted the crying baby to her shoulder and gave her a firm pat on the offensive diaper, crooning a soft lullaby into wispy blonde strands. Adie began to finally calm and Fareeha shot a look to her wife, giving her a reassuring smile and shaking her head when Angela mimed joining her. Fareeha grinned as she felt her daughter’s tiny fingers wrap around a hair bead, the expression turning to mild pain as the baby yanked. She was just tugging her head away from the attacking child when she heard the laugh behind her.

 

“Are you the nanny?” Fareeha turned to look at the young man standing behind her. She was immediately reminded of Jesse with the way the man dressed, faded jeans, long sleeved button up rolled to the elbows, scruffy goatee. Her eyes flicked to the top of his head expecting a cowboy hat but was met with a baseball cap boasting a local brewing company. She must have taken too long to respond as his face crumpled in embarrassment. “Oh, um… no hablo English?” He gave his cheek a scratch as he visibly tried to recall any Spanish classes from his childhood.

 

Fareeha barely bit back the scoff, knowing the need to not alienate any parents on her sons’ new team from day one. “I speak English and no I’m not the nanny.” 

 

“Well, there’s no way you just had her,” He gave his brows a suggestive waggle, his green eyes nearly glowing. “Not with that tight waist.”

 

Fareeha merely blinked, her brows furrowing. Surely he wasn’t-

 

“So if you’re not doing anything, I’d love to take you out if you can find someone to keep the kid.” He was nearly upon Fareeha, his hand raising to trail the back of his finger along her bicep, biting his lip when he felt the hard muscle beneath. Fareeha shifted Adie to the arm furthest from the man and turned slightly away, moving her child further from the man.

 

“I suppose I could ‘keep the kid.’” The accented voice came from behind the man. Fareeha could hear the venom in her wife’s voice, the way her anger stretched her vowels. He turned with a naive grin, the gratitude on his face swiftly falling when he met an icy blue stare. “Since ‘the kid’ is mine.” 

 

Undeterred, the man swaggered back to stand next to Fareeha, giving the ex-soldier a slight nudge toward Angela. “See, there we go, your friend here has babysitting under control. Whaddya say we get out of here?”

 

“The only one getting out of here is you, I’m afraid,” Angela said with a slight snarl, eyes boring into his before darting to the field. “ _ Boys, let’s go _ .” She called, the harsh sounding Swiss German shocking the man who pivoted wide-eyed and watched the twins sprint over to the blonde. 

 

On his way past, Kamaj stared the man down, fingers reaching up to clutch Angela’s outstretched hand. Ansel merely stood and watched the man, finger in his mouth before speaking around the soggy digit. “Who dis?”

 

Angela smirked, squatting down to pull Ansel onto her hip before standing. “He’s a friend of your mama’s. He wants to take her out to  _ play _ .” Stuttering, the man backed away, eyes bouncing between the two women and their three children.

 

“Let’s go, stud,” Angela called, turning on her heel and making her way to their car with a wide grin.

 

* * *

 

Fareeha took a steadying breath as she paced, eyes locked on the small screen sat on the nightstand, cradling a sick and crying Adie in her arms. She counted to herself as the dots slowly blinked in and out as the phone tried to make a connection. On its seventeenth cycle, she huffed out in frustration and began pacing the full length of the nursery as she sang a comforting jingle under her breath. 

 

“Athena, end call,” Fareeha spoke softly, not wanting to startle the sick six-month-old in her arms. As she paced she mentally weighed her options. Jesse was out of the question, there was no way he’d have a clue how to handle a sick infant. Aleks couldn’t stand the idea of baby mess, having her come help would only give Fareeha  _ two _ sick babies and she would insist coming if Mei came to help. She bit her lip, readjusting Adie to her opposite shoulder and placing a cheek against her forehead to monitor her temperature. It was a trick that Han-

 

“Athena, call Hanzo, mark Urgent.” Fareeha stared at the screen until she saw the blue symbol give way to the call screen she’d been stuck at with Angela’s cell, resuming her pacing as she saw the dots begin to blink.

 

This time it was only a matter of seconds before the call connected with the muffled sound of scraping cloth and a cleared throat. 

 

“Hey, Adie’s had a slight fever and has been wheezing-”

 

“I assume Angela is not answering? Why call me and not your mother?” Hanzo’s gruff sleep-voice spoke only the truth and Fareeha felt the embarrassment take root as she realized her absent-minded mistake. 

 

She sighed deeply, nodding though she hadn’t placed a video call. “You’re right, apologies for interrupting your night.”

 

Behind Hanzo’s reassurances that she could call anytime, she heard Jesse’s grumbles. “‘Ree, I know you’n her ain’t been right since Annie got hurt, but ya gotta talk to’er sometime.”

 

“I told you to never call him that again, McCree,” Fareeha growled, turning to glare at the tablet sitting on the nightstand. “Sounds like that stupid nickname from the terrible Star Wars prequels.” She grumbled and sighed once more, mind already jumping through all of the scenarios if she called her mother. Another raspy breath from her daughter made her decision. “You two enjoy your night, thanks again.” And with that, she ended the call and dialed her mother.

 

“‘Ami, Adie is sick, can you… come help?” The words were hesitant as if she was expecting a backlash from her opinionated mother.

 

The silence was broken by a watery sigh from the elder sniper. “Of course, habibti, I’ll be right over. Do you have something to write with? I’ll give you a list of things to start with.”

 

* * *

 

Angela and Fareeha climbed the few stairs leading to their porch, the blonde tugging a shawl around her shoulders and Fareeha grinning stupidly at her wife. Angela sighed as her eyes shift to the front door, apprehension nearly palpable.

 

“I suppose now we go take care of whatever damage has been left to us.” She gave her arms a reassuring squeeze before stepping forward as if she were stepping into a triage tent in the middle of a war zone. Perhaps that was exactly what awaited her. There was no telling what calamity had been brought upon the house by two screaming boys, a seven-month-old baby, and Hana.

 

Fareeha heaved a sigh behind her before stepping around her wife and unlocking the door. She gave a quick shake to her shoulders before pushing the door open and stepping inside. The moment the door shut behind them, Ansel came tearing down the hallway in his superhero undies and a ripped sheet tied around his shoulders, foam sword held between marker covered fingers.   
  
“Get wrecked, scrubs!” And with that declaration, the foam sword was smacking into their legs with a gleeful cackle. From the kitchen, they heard a loud thud followed by running footsteps and a shouted “Nerf this!”

 

The mothers shared a look of dismay.

 

* * *

 

Angela was at the stove, swirling the last few apples through the pan of melted caramel as Fareeha finished pouring candy into a large cauldron. Ana and Reinhardt had taken the boys out for costumes a month ago but had refused to tell the mothers what they’d picked out, only that they wanted to dress like their heroes. Somehow, they’d managed to buy the twins’ silence as well. The grandparents were currently upstairs helping the boys dress.

 

“You okay with staying home this year?” Fareeha asked as she stealthily stole a Twix from the cauldron and unwrapped it beneath the table.

 

“It’ll be fun to see the all of the kids in costume, plus with Adie’s ear infection we can’t really take her around.” Angela rolled her last apple through some crushed walnuts before setting it with the others. “And you better not be stealing candy, you remember what happened last year.”

 

Fareeha froze and tried to nonchalantly chew and swallow her bit of cookie-caramel-chocolate goodness. Angela merely sighed and turned around. “Could we please not reenact the ‘Great Sugar High of All Hallows Eve’ this year?” 

 

Fareeha rose from the table with the cauldron and sauntered to the counter, placing the candy dish next to the apples before trapping Angela between her arms, hands gripping the edge of the counter. She leaned in for a gentle kiss, a smirk on her lips. Angela hummed against her before pulling back and swiping at Fareeha’s lower lip with her thumb to clear it of a smudge of chocolate.

 

“Only  _ one _ this year, okay?” Angela relented before popping the tip of her thumb into her mouth to clean it. 

 

Fareeha gave an over-exaggerated eye roll and a deep chuckle. Her eyes dropped back to Angela’s in a sultry gaze. “I suppose I could be convinced.” And she leaned down for another kiss, her hands moving to Angela’s waist as her lips trailed teasingly over her wife’s.

 

And then the thunderous cacophony that was two seven-year-olds speeding down the hallway interrupted them. They pulled apart, grinning as they heard Reinhardt asking them to wait at the base of the stairs only to be answered by disappointed whines.

 

Ana stepped through the door with a sly grin. “Sorry to break apart whatever this is, but the boys are ready.”

 

The three stepped into the hallway to see Reinhardt at the foot of the stairs standing in front of the two boys. Muffled giggles could be heard as the twins tried to smother their laughs.

 

“Ah!” Reinhardt began with a laugh. “Now the boys wanted to dress like their two favorite heroes, and with a family like Overwatch they didn’t have to look far at all.”

 

Angela and Fareeha shared a look, the former pulling her lip between her teeth to hide her silly grin. Then Reinhardt moved, displaying both boys.

 

Ansel stood in denim, chaps, bright red sarape and oversized cowboy hat, no doubt from Jesse himself.

 

At his side, Kamaj stood proudly, chest puffed and chin jutted, eyes barely visible beneath the wolfskin atop his head, bow clutched in his hand.

 

Fareeha couldn’t contain the laughter.

 

Angela clapped, a grin on her face. “Perfect choice boys!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo sorry for the long downtime on this one!! We moved! So there was a lot of cleaning and packing and unpacking and MORE cleaning.


	12. Chapter 12

Fareeha chuckled as she was dragged through the mall by her two boys, Angela followed behind with Adie strapped in her stroller. The family was spending their Saturday at the local shops and the twins were beside themselves with excitement. Every storefront would draw their attention and keep them entertained with wishes of going inside and cries of “But mama we’ve  _ always wanted this. _ ”

 

It wasn’t until they turned the corner and Fareeha saw a brightly lit window that she regretted bringing the boys. At the first sign of fur, the boys broke away from their mother’s hold and dashed forward, noses pressing against the glass to get as close to the puppies as possible. Fareeha jogged up behind them and scooped their hands back up before guiding them away with mentions of letting them pick whatever they wanted from the food court.

 

“As long as it has at least four colors.” Angela piped up as she followed the three, grin stretching her lips as she complained to an oblivious Adie about her mama and brothers.

 

* * *

 

“You’re sure you’ll be fine with the boys?” Angela asked Jesse as she stood in the doorway to his home, the twins had ran past him as soon as the door was opened in search of their beloved Uncle Hano.

 

“We’ve got this, no worries. You just focus on Adie’s appointment.” He offered with a sincere smile. Angela paused on the doorstep for a moment before nodding to herself with a sigh. She returned his smile and stepped back before turning and heading to the car. Jesse gave a small wave to Fareeha who sat in the driver’s seat of the car but the woman didn’t notice, instead her eyes remained locked on her daughter who was asleep in her carseat.

 

Angela climbed in the car and gave Jesse a small nod before she buckled up. Fareeha pulled away from the house in silence, not breaking it even as they made the thirty minute drive to the pediatrician’s office.

 

Both mothers climbed from the car, Fareeha grabbing Angela’s purse and diaper bag, which at this point was mostly full of extra clothes, snacks, toys and teething aides as Adie had potty trained earlier than either of the boys. Angela scooped Adie from her car seat and began their trek inside.

 

The wait was short despite the amount of people seated around the room. Their appointment was with Dr. Liu, a specialist who’s list of patients was much shorter than the general physicians in the suite.

 

The three were herded into a back room and Adie’s vitals were taken and within a few minutes, the doctor entered with a quiet knock, folder tucked under her arm.

 

She bypassed the rolling chair and instead pulled one of the patient chairs to sit between the mothers, Angela in the second patient chair and Fareeha on the bed with Adie sitting in her lap. Dr. Liu glanced at the folder before laying it on her lap and looking to Angela and Fareeha.

 

“As you know, we made this appointment to review the results of the tests and scans. There were no indicators of any tumors.” Both mothers visibly relaxed but still held their breath as they knew the ‘but’ was on its way. “However,” She continued, eyes shifting to Adie before continuing. “It seems Adelaide’s inner ears never developed correctly. Birth defects, while rare, are a known risk of Copperman IVF. Usually they’re more obvious and caught earlier but with hearing loss, it’s only really noted when there are other hindrances to development.”

 

Angela nodded slowly, eyes never leaving her daughter. “She was months ahead of all milestones but speaking.” She noted quietly.

 

“So what are our options?” Fareeha asked, to the point as always.

 

Dr. Liu sighed. “There are a few surgical options but at her age, they are risky. I would suggest getting an appointment with a colleague of mine, he’s a well respected pediatric otologist. He would be able to guide you better than I could regarding which routes are available.”   
  


Fareeha nodded as she absently stroked her fingers through Adie’s blonde curls.

 

“Mrs. Amari… Having a deaf child can be very challenging but also very rewarding. Hope is not lost.”

 

Fareeha nodded despondently, allowing herself to get lost in thought as Angela finished up the appointment.

 

Angela stood and drew Fareeha to her feet with a gentle hand on her back. She lead the way to the nurse’s desk to pick up the information Dr. Liu had left about her referral to her colleague. Once she had the envelope in hand, they left in silence.

 

On the way home, Angela shot a quick text to Jesse, explaining the need for them to keep the boys over night and that she’d fill him and Hanzo in on the results of the visit as soon as they could.

 

Angela tucked Adie into bed with a kiss to the forehead as Fareeha gave a few mists of lavender spray around the room. The two mothers trudged to their own bed more than ready to hide beneath the covers for a few hours despite it being late afternoon.

 

Fareeha lay on her side facing away from Angela, body curled in on itself. A small hand in the middle of her back was the catalyst to her tears and the soldier broke. Angela pressed against her, wrapping Fareeha in her arms and held her as she wept. Kisses were dropped against black hair and scarred arms were given loving and reassuring squeezes until the woman calmed.

 

“It will be hard, but we’ll get through this.” Angela said, words slightly muffled against Fareeha’s shoulder. “We’ll be strong for her.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Mami!” Kamaj’s yell preceeded him running into the woman’s office. Angela finished typing up her current thought before turning to the boy. He stood at the edge of her desk with a huge grin and his hands behind his back.

 

She eyed him warily before speaking. “Yes, Kamaj?” Her tone full of suspicion.

 

“I want a dog like Uncle Hano and Dess!” 

 

“Uh huh…” She said as she pulled her glasses from her face, leaning back in her chair. “And what brought this on?” 

 

Kamaj dug his foot into the carpet before snapping back to attention as if he’d just realized his stance had faltered. “Because Dixie is fun.”

 

“And do you know what else Dixie is?” The boy shook his head, face already falling as he heard Angela’s tone of voice. “A lot of work and responsibility.” When his lip began to tremble, Angela sighed. “I’ll make you a deal. Write me an essay on why you want a dog along with all of the chores that come along with having one. Your mama and I will read it and decide if you’re ready.”

 

Kamaj flashed her a huge grin, nearly dancing on the spot. “Really?” 

 

“If you prove you understand what it takes to have a dog, we’ll look into getting one.”

 

He dashed forward and leapt into her arms, peppering her face with sloppy kisses. “Thank you thank you thank you!” He chanted among giggles.

 

* * *

 

Angela stood next to the counter at Little Genius Science Museum, holding Adie as Jesse rounded up the twins from the revolving door. The twins seemed more excited by the door than anything else the museum had to offer.

 

“To be that young again.” The woman mused from behind the counter as she finished pricing out their tickets. “Beautiful family you have there.”

 

Angela merely smiled and swiped her card over the kiosk. She’d learned to go along with the assumptions that either Jesse or Hanzo were the children’s father when they were out together. The resulting stares and rude words whispered behind backs that came from arguing the point always made the boys uncomfortable. “Thank you. Have a good day.” And she turned back to face the boys with a huge grin. “Alright! Kamaj you’re my buddy today, Ansel you’re with Uncle Dess. Remember the rules?”

 

“Be nice, use our manners and always have your buddy.” The boys recited in unison.

 

“Then let’s hit it, kids!” Jesse said as he grabbed up Ansel and made a beeline to the archaeological dig site the boy had been staring at. 

 

Kamaj lead Angela to one of the workers giving a demonstration on birds and was currently holding a peregrine falcon. “Mami, look!” He said in an excited whisper as he pointed at the sleek bird on the handler’s arm. Angela nodded and laughed as she was tugged through the crowd so Kamaj could get a better look. 

 

The handler seemed to be nearing the end of his prepared speech and was walking the perimeter of the circle of onlookers, allowing all of the kids to reach out and touch a feather. When he reached Kamaj, the child next to him gripped a feather to keep the falcon from getting too far away and the bird screeched, its wings flaring out as it turned and puffed up defensively. Its eyes trailed on Kamaj.

 

The parent of the feather puller tugged the offending girl away, admonishing her with a reprimanding tone. The handler tried to calm the falcon but Kamaj was already spooked, tears welled in his eyes as he gripped Angela’s leg in fear.

 

She scooted him to the side and knelt, shifting Adie to her farthest hip and pulled Kamaj in close, whispering calming words into his hair.

 

They’d look back on this day and laugh, the day that Kamaj Falke gained a fear of his namesake.

 

* * *

 

Fareeha stood at the stove as she finished up the last bit of their Thursday dinner. Thursdays were always ‘family night’ which meant their dining room, which was usually more than enough for the five Amaris, quickly became dwarfed when Ana, Reinhardt, Jesse and Hanzo all piled in for a meal.

 

Angela had already set the table and chased down the boys, getting them settled into their seats along with the rest of their guests. Hanzo sat to Ansel’s side and the boy soon realized something was amiss.

 

“Uncle Hano.” Ansel said, his tone of voice accusatory. “No ‘lectronics at the table.” 

 

Hanzo quickly shut off his phone and tucked it in his pocket with a sheepish grin. “Apologies. I was trying to finish my lesson.”

 

“Your lesson?” Ana asked as she entered the room followed by Reinhardt and Angela with a fussy Adie.

 

If anyone noticed the proud Japanese man blushing, no one mentioned it. 

 

“I’ve been taking ASL courses online.” Hanzo explained. At the stove, Fareeha froze before she began stirring the gravy again. “I want to be fluent before Adie-hime.”

 

Angela placed Adie in her high chair before catching Hanzo’s eye. She brought a curled hand in front of her jaw before popping her index finger up by her forehead.  _ Amazing! Understand? _

 

Hanzo’s eyes darted to the table before meeting her gaze once more. He gave a closed fist a few nods with a concealed grin.  _ Yes. _

 

* * *

 

Fareeha and Angela sat on the couch, or more accurately, Fareeha lay on the couch with Angela sprawled against her as they absently watched the evening news. Their view of the screen was cut off by a bouncy Kamaj and Ansel, both clutching sheets of paper.

 

“We finished!” Kamaj stated before both boys thrust their papers at the women. As soon as the transfer was complete, the boys scampered off.

 

Angela laughed. “They actually did it.” She mused as she looked at the scrawled essays they’d been given.

 

“Ansel did really well.” Fareeha said as she flipped through her son’s four pages of basic dog care. He’d even included a drawn chart of how much time should be spent doing each activity with the new puppy.

 

“Did Ansel…” Angela spoke up as she nearly crawled up Fareeha to get a better look at the younger boy’s papers. “He even has socialization in here. Kamaj called it ‘puppy time.’” Blue eyes darted up to brown. “They did their homework.”

 

Fareeha sighed. “Does this mean we have to get a dog?”

 

Angela laughed and dropped her head to Fareeha’s chest. “It means we  _ think _ about getting a dog.”

 

* * *

 

While most parents are excited for their children on the child’s birthday or nervous about tantrums, Fareeha was regretting ever mentioning renting a bounce house for the twins’ birthday.

 

It was a feat to keep toddling Adie away from the compressor and every time one of the neighborhood children dove inside, she would throw a fit for being left out.

 

Not only did Fareeha have to wrangle the mass of kids trying to get inside the bouncy castle, she had to regulate Jesse and his childlike fascination with jumping in the blasted thing.

 

She’d finally managed to distract him long enough with Hanzo and was splayed out on the picnic table in their backyard when Ana came sprinting up.

 

“Have you seen Rein?” She said, clearly out of breath. “He was just here.”

 

Fareeha sat up immediately and darted her eyes around the yard, searching for the older man. He’d been complaining recently of tightness in his chest and while doctors advised him to start taking life easier, he’d adamantly refused before shoving pictures of his grandchildren in the physicians’ faces.

 

His disappearance had scared Ana and now Fareeha was also on alert. The two women searched the backyard before telling Hanzo to check the house. Just as the door closed behind him, Fareeha heard Jesse’s shout.

 

“Well this just ain’t fair! How come I can’t get in there but he can!”

 

Fareeha and Ana turned toward the bounce house and their jaws dropped. Jesse stood at the side of the entrance flap, the bit of plastic held to the side to reveal a laughing Reinhardt on his back being bounced around by the twins and their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys are getting older but they still call Hanzo and Jesse by their "baby nicknames."
> 
> I'm not sure if this is the same for everyone, but when I was younger I couldn't call my uncle by his real name, so he was called "Buzz." It's a name that's stuck around even through other people.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this fic is not abandoned! I'm so sorry for the terribly long break between chapters. If you're a friend of mine, you know how life has been treating me and the last few months weren't a great fluff-writing environment.
> 
> Things aren't great yet, but they're getting better, so to celebrate, here's some kid fluff.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's still following this fic <3 Ya'll make my day

A frustrated growl echoed through Angela’s in-home office as she dropped yet another stack of papers to the desk. She rocked back in her chair, fingers pinched at the bridge of her nose as she tried to refocus her thoughts on the writeups she needed to finalize.

 

Ever since she and Fareeha had “retired” from Overwatch, which was really just an extended vacation during which Athena blocked incoming calls unless a nation declared a state of emergency, she’d continued her research and testing in their basement lab and kept submitting articles to science and medical journals on the regular. She’d made some startling discoveries when melding her nanites with hardlight and thus, she’d been holed up in her office for nearly three days.

 

Fareeha would come by to collect her for meals, would make her ride along to pick the boys up from school and would ensure she actually spent time with her family instead of hiding in her lab the way she would during the old Overwatch days. It was an easy habit to fall back into.

 

Until Adie came to her door, soft knock announcing her presence. 

 

Angela looked up at her daughter and smiled. The girl always brought such joy to anyone she met and her mother was no different.  _ Yes, sweet one? _ Angela asked, fingers caressing her chin in the simple namesign they’d assigned to her pet name.

 

Adie trotted into the office, hand behind her back, with a purpose. She stopped next to Angela’s chair and held out a chubby fist with pride. Stunned by her daughter’s display, Angela held out a hand with only a bit of trepidation at what her four-year-old was about to drop into her palm.

 

The small blonde dropped a tiny tooth into Angela’s hand and smiled, showing off a gap in her lower teeth. Once her hand was empty, she began to sign in earnest.  _ Mama said I can put it under my pillow and I’ll get a present! _

 

Angela laughed and placed the tooth on her desk before tugging the girl on to her knee. She gave Adie a big cuddle before asking what she hoped the tooth fairy would bring her, an impossibly large grin on her face as she watched her sweet daughter ramble about a new book.

 

* * *

 

“Mama, you played soccer right?” Kamaj spoke from his place beside his bicycle as he mimicked his mother’s actions on her own motorcycle across the garage.

 

Fareeha hummed an acknowledgement as she finally got a bolt to loosen. “I did. I should still have my old ball around somewhere if you’d like to play.”

 

Kamaj slowed on his work, small brow furrowed as he glared at a spoke on his front wheel. “Ansel doesn’t like baseball anymore.” He finally said, a pout coloring his words as he wrung his hands in his lap. 

 

Fareeha turned to look at her sad boy with a soft smile. “Ansel doesn’t really like  _ sports _ .” She agreed, reaching out to ruffle the boy’s hair. “But it’s okay to like different things.”

 

“But I  _ like _ liking what he likes.” He sniffed.

 

Fareeha sighed and tugged Kamaj into a hug. “So like what he likes, but know that even if you two are doing different things, he’s still your brother and nothing will change that, little bird.”

 

“But if I play soccer and he doesn’t, I won’t see him anymore.”    
  
Fareeha laughed before dropping a kiss to the top of Kamaj’s head. “You’ll see him plenty. He’d come to every one of your games and even some practices if you asked him nicely.” She ruffled his hair once more. “Like I said, he’ll always be around.”

 

* * *

 

As another high pitched wail pierced the dull roar of the grocery, Jesse winced. It was times like these that he was especially happy to have the three Amari kids in his life. They’d always been evenly tempered and well behaved. He couldn’t stop a glare at a red-faced toddler in the child seat of a nearby cart as he threw a tantrum over a brightly colored cereal.

 

_ Stop glaring, you’ll scare him. _ Fareeha signed with a playful glare and Jesse merely crossed his arms with an over exaggerated pout. Ever since they all began learning ASL, they’d use it for covert conversations and any time they were around Adie, who currently sat quietly in her own child seat, coloring book propped against the push bar.

 

Jesse scoffed before replying.  _ This is why Hanzo and I won’t have our own. _

 

_ No, you just steal mine any time you’re bitten by the kid bug.  _ Fareeha dryly responded before reaching across the cart to grab the boys’ favorite string cheese.

  
Jesse tossed a glare over his shoulder as he sulked further down the cold food shelves to petulantly grab a Lunchable and toss it into the cart. At Fareeha’s raised eyebrow, Jesse merely shrugged and grumbled about shopping making him hungry.  _ Anyway, yer kids’re angels. Not these... _ he waved his hand vaguely toward the still screaming toddler, seemingly at a loss of words.

  
_ Normal, temper tantrum throwing, terrible twos having kids?  _ Fareeha finished for him. She moved further down the shelf to grab Angela’s favorite strawberry cream cheese.  _ Much like you’re behaving.  _ She added with a smirk, dark eyes glancing over to her friend, expecting him to be throwing his own tantrum but was shocked to see him standing defensively in front of the cart, more specifically Adie. She followed his line of sight to two teen boys attempting to hide their bodies behind a shelf and their laughter behind their hands.

 

“Jesse?” Fareeha asked quietly but the man didn’t respond. 

 

“Hey,” Jesse called out to the boys. “Ya’ll seem confused. Let me help you out.” The next part he spoke slowly, signing along with his words. “Go find your parents and tell’em you were laughin’ at a deaf four-year-old or I will.” 

 

* * *

 

Of the vast amount of people Adie wooed, she held two on a pedestal and in turn, she was their angel-faced princess: Hanzo and Reinhardt. Both men were wrapped around her tiny little finger and were her first go-to should she be hurt or scared and her mama not be around. 

 

She loved to have the men over for afternoon tea parties or for ‘class’ so she could don her lensless glasses and one of Angela’s blouses to teach the grownups various facts about the world around her, be it ASL courses or simply which variation of butterfly was in the garden that day. Another of her favorites was dress up, but ever since her Uncle Hano cut his hair, she’d had to turn to her Papa with her various hair ribbons and beads.

 

Fareeha had taught her how to braid as soon as the young girl had the ability and dexterity to learn so she could copy her mama’s hair if desired, and now she turned that skill on her Papa. No fewer than thirty hair accessories were currently braided, tucked and tied into Reinhardt’s hair, Adie behind him chittering on with quick hand movements in his peripheral.

 

* * *

 

Ana pulled the car to a stop in the crowded parking lot. She tossed a glance into the rearview mirror to check Ansel for any last minute regrets for coming with her today. She’d bribed him with a surprise, something special that only he could do. He’d argued for his brother to come, of course, but at both Angela and Fareeha’s insistence, the young boy had trudged after his Gidda with drooped shoulders and pouted lip.

 

Now, however, his crystalline blue eyes were alight with excitement as he twisted in his booster seat to rest his hands and chin on the window sill, tracking the customers pouring in and out of the arts and crafts store. 

 

“Are you ready, little bird?” Ana asked as she unbuckled and grabbed her handbag. She laughed to herself as Ansel began to wiggle and started up a chant of ‘yes’s at such a pitch she was amazed the glass in front of him didn’t shatter.

 

Within minutes, they were both out of the car and on their way into the store and after stopping to ask for directions, they were on their way through the crowd to the classroom in the back of the store and the children’s event taking place.

 

The classroom was brightly painted and a few children Ansel’s age sat dotted around the tables, all working on their project for the day.

 

A cheery young man greeted them at the door and dropped to a knee to greet Ansel first. “Hey sport, my name’s Jackson. Is today your first time here?”

 

Ansel’s finger was in the corner of his mouth in a nanosecond and he gazed up at Ana in stunned silence. The woman clapped her grandson on his shoulders and smiled at the employee. “It is. Ansel was very excited to do today’s project, he’s just a bit shy.”

 

With a smile, nod and cheery pep in his step, Jackson lead Ansel to an empty seat and wrote his name at the top of his space on the paper lined table. He sat out the various craft supplies: air dry clay, craft paints, brushes, beads and gemstones and showed Ansel how to fold the clay to make it easier to shape.

 

Once Ansel was properly distracted, Jackson made his way back to Ana for the proper child-safety paperwork. “Of course, you’re more than welcome to stay.” Jackson added as he took the signed forms back from Ana. She thanked him and sat in the corner, already dreading standing back up. She’d seen the amount of glitter tossed around the room and it was definitely on the back of her pants now.

 

But as she watched Ansel begin to break out of his shell and chat with the girl at his side, share his supplies and laugh as they each made a silly animal with the clay, Ana decided any amount of glitter impossibly stuck to her clothes was worth it.

 

As they were leaving, Ana carrying the small box containing the hand sculpted bluebird with angel wings and Ansel chatting at her side about the friends he’d made and their silly inside jokes, Ana smiled. 

 

She’d given this up with her own child and she’d be damned if she made that mistake again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments are always welcome and will usually be replied to within the day, so if you have any questions or concerns, drop me a line! 
> 
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